Sittanavasal
Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Sittanavasal is a Jain rock-cut cave in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu. Its name is often explained as "abode of the great saints". The cave is a small shrine with carved Jain tirthankara figures. It is famous for its murals, which are wall paintings done on dry lime plaster. They are usually dated between c. 7th and 9th century CE. They are among the finest surviving early paintings of south India.
Example
The ceiling has a painted lotus pond. It shows lotus flowers, fish, elephants, buffaloes and people gathering lotuses. Nearby pillars show graceful dancing figures. These paintings date to c. 7th–9th century CE.
Don't confuse with
- Ajanta in Maharashtra has Buddhist murals that tell Jataka stories. Sittanavasal is Jain, much smaller and in Tamil Nadu.
Related concepts
- Rock-cut architecture
- Barabar caves
- Lomas Rishi cave
- Nagarjuni caves
- Rock-cut monasteries
- Chaitya and vihara
- Bhaja caves
- Karla caves
- Kanheri caves
- Nasik caves