Rock Fort Temple, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu India

The Rock Fort Temple, or Ucchi Pillayar Koil, situated in Trichy, a small city in Tamil Nadu is a combination of two famous 7th century Hindu temples, one dedicated to Lord Ganesh and the other dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located on top, and carved into, a huge rock in Trichy. Rockfort temple history says that, the temple was built by Pallavas on hundred million years old hill in 580 AD. The 83m high rock is said to be one of the oldest in the world, dating over 3 billion years ago, predating Greenland and the Himalayas. We were told that the biggest part of the work to carve out the rock and associated temple construction took 300 men eleven years of effort. To visit the temple is a big climb, up the 437 steps cut into the stone, to the top, but well worth the effort.

The Rock Fort Temple, or Ucchi Pillayar Koil, situated in Trichy, a small city in Tamil Nadu is a combination of two famous 7th century Hindu temples, one dedicated to Lord Ganesh and the other dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located on top, and carved into, a huge rock in Trichy. Rockfort temple history says that, the temple was built by Pallavas on hundred million years old hill in 580 AD. The 83m high rock is said to be one of the oldest in the world, dating over 3 billion years ago, predating Greenland and the Himalayas. We were told that the biggest part of the work to carve out the rock and associated temple construction took 300 men eleven years of effort. To visit the temple is a big climb, up the 437 steps cut into the stone, to the top, but well worth the effort.

The Rock Fort temple complex in Tiruchirappalli is a collection of three temples - the Manikka Vinayaka temple at the foot of the hill, the Uchhi Pillayar Kovil at the top of the hill and the Taayumaanava Kovil (Shivastalam) on the hill. This Shivastalam is a rock cut temple on a hill in the most prominent landmark in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy); reached by a flight of steps on the way to the famous Ucchi Pillayar temple.