DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY VOCC-THE PEARL CITY TOURISM

  Vettuvan Koil in  Kalugumalai , a panchayat town in  Thoothukudi district  in the South Indian state of  Tamil Nadu , is a  temple  dedicated to the Hindu god  Shiva . Constructed in the  Pandyan Architecture  and rock cut architecture, the unfinished temple was built during the 8th century CE by the early  Pandyas . The other portions of Kalugumalai hillock houses the 8th century  Kalugumalai Jain Beds  and  Kalugasalamoorthy Temple , a  Murugan  temple. This rock-cut temple is notable for its architecture and construction method. While the early Pandya rulers helped build numerous cave and stone temples, it is the only known example of a Pandya era monolithic temple that was carved out in three dimensions, in-situ from the top of the hillock. The temple is maintained and administered by Department of Archaeology of the  Government of Tamil Nadu  as a protected monument. The temple is carved out from a single rock in a rectangular portion measuring 7.5 m (25 ft) in depth. The carvin