Sittanavasal Cave Paintings
The ceiling artwork in the sanctum and ardha mandapam of Arivar Kovil represents one of the earliest examples of post-Ajanta cave paintings, dating from the 4th to 6th centuries CE.
These paintings were created using the fresco-secco technique, which involves applying pigments onto a dry surface without the use of wet plaster.
The ceiling frescoes depict bhavyas—noble souls on the path to moksha (spiritual liberation)—enjoying themselves in a lotus-filled pond. Faint traces of dancing female figures can still be seen on the pillars of the ardha mandapam.
The verandah pillars, which were added during the early 1900s under the Maharaja of Pudukottai and on the recommendation of then Diwan Alexander Tottenham, were sourced from Kudumiyanmalai.
The colors used in the paintings were derived from a mix of plant-based dyes and mineral pigments, including lime, lamp black, and natural clays—such as ochre for yellow and terre verte for greenish-grey tones.
Design motifs within the temple suggest that it may have originally been a Shaivite shrine before becoming a Jain site.
The complex also houses inscriptions in Brahmi and Vattaezhuthu scripts from the 3rd century CE, along with early Tamil inscriptions from the 9th century, including those attributed to the Jain monk Ilan-Gautaman.
Of the 20 known cave temples in the Pudukottai district, 19 are associated with Shaivism and Vaishnavism, making Sittanavasal the only one with Jain sculptures.
