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No tiger, but what a cave!

  • A view of the monument known as Tiger Cave, the structure is actually a porch from which the king gave public audiences.
    1/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    A view of the monument known as Tiger Cave, the structure is actually a porch from which the king gave public audiences.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Most tourists eager to hit the beach at Mamallapuram miss this turnoff 5 km ahead, right beside the ECR. The monument occupies a vast, manicured enclave surrounded by beach casuarina trees. A path behind the enclosure leads to the beach.
    2/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    Most tourists eager to hit the beach at Mamallapuram miss this turnoff 5 km ahead, right beside the ECR. The monument occupies a vast, manicured enclave surrounded by beach casuarina trees. A path behind the enclosure leads to the beach.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Records from British-era documents show that these structures were completely submerged in beach sand at the time of discovery.
    3/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    Records from British-era documents show that these structures were completely submerged in beach sand at the time of discovery.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • One of the picturesque rock-cut monuments. The complex gets its name from the carvings of tiger heads on the mouth of a cave which forms a part of the complex.
    4/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    One of the picturesque rock-cut monuments. The complex gets its name from the carvings of tiger heads on the mouth of a cave which forms a part of the complex.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The structure has a rock-cut cave temple dedicated to Durga.
    5/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    The structure has a rock-cut cave temple dedicated to Durga.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • View of the inner monument.
    6/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    View of the inner monument.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • The structure is placed in a well maintained enclosure.
    7/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    The structure is placed in a well maintained enclosure.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Some of these rocky outcrops near Atiranachanda Mandapa were unearthed after the 2004 tsunami.
    8/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    Some of these rocky outcrops near Atiranachanda Mandapa were unearthed after the 2004 tsunami.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • Tourists swarm the monument, perhaps unaware that it dates back to the eighth century and shelters in its crannies and crevices so much unexplored history.
    9/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    Tourists swarm the monument, perhaps unaware that it dates back to the eighth century and shelters in its crannies and crevices so much unexplored history.
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
  • For centuries, these monuments slept in the sand. Now, as the swell and ebb of the Bay of Bengal unravels new secrets, how will we receive our enlightment?
    10/10

    Travel Great East Coast Road Drive Mamallapuram Tiger Cave

    For centuries, these monuments slept in the sand. Now, as the swell and ebb of the Bay of Bengal unravels new secrets, how will we receive our enlightment?
    Azhar Mohamed Ali
A view of the monument known as Tiger Cave, the structure is actually a porch from which the king gave public audiences.
Most tourists eager to hit the beach at Mamallapuram miss this turnoff 5 km ahead, right beside the ECR. The monument occupies a vast, manicured enclave surrounded by beach casuarina trees. A path behind the enclosure leads to the beach.
Records from British-era documents show that these structures were completely submerged in beach sand at the time of discovery.
One of the picturesque rock-cut monuments. The complex gets its name from the carvings of tiger heads on the mouth of a cave which forms a part of the complex.
The structure has a rock-cut cave temple dedicated to Durga.
View of the inner monument.
The structure is placed in a well maintained enclosure.
Some of these rocky outcrops near Atiranachanda Mandapa were unearthed after the 2004 tsunami.
Tourists swarm the monument, perhaps unaware that it dates back to the eighth century and shelters in its crannies and crevices so much unexplored history.
For centuries, these monuments slept in the sand. Now, as the swell and ebb of the Bay of Bengal unravels new secrets, how will we receive our enlightment?

The somewhat fantastically named Tiger's Cave reflects both a great lack of imagination and lazy historical assumptions on the part of those who committed the act. Deed done, the name stands. Mercifully, so does the monument.

Just 4 km before Mamallapuram on the East Coast Road are these structures of spellbinding beauty, standing in an ocean of green manicured lawns and beach casuarina trees. Large boulders, uncarved, rise near it, and these too have been protected within the enclosure, entry into which is by a rather amusing turnstile, which snags and creaks as it traps visitors of more than average girth.

Once inside, the 'Cave' is hard to miss. A survivor from the age of the Pallava dynasty that ruled the region between the 2nd and 9th centuries, this fine, rock-cut structure has fine carvings that have softened with weathering. The scripts on the walls praise the Pallava king Parameshwara.

There are several inscriptions and two nearly complete monuments of note within this complex of boulders and excavated ruins - the Atiranachanda Mandapa and the Yali Mandapa. The latter, with its carvings resembling feline features, was accorded the name Tiger's Cave.

Also read: Looking inside the Tiger's Cave

PHOTOS: AZHAR MOHAMED ALI
TEXT: BIJOY VENUGOPAL