Tiger Cave
புலிக்குகை
A Pallava-era cave carved into a boulder by the sea, with a ring of tiger-head (lion-beast) carvings around its entrance.
Tiger Cave lies about 5 km north of Mamallapuram at Sadurangapattinam. It was carved in the 8th century, and eleven tiger-head-like lion-beast carvings surround the entrance. Their unusual design and purpose are still debated, though they may have been a stage for festival performances. Nearby archaeological digs have uncovered the remains of an earlier Murugan temple. The cave is within the Mamallapuram World Heritage zone and can be visited with a combined ticket or a separate one.
Opening hours
06:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Trimurti Cave Temple
- Arjuna's Penance (Descent of the Ganges)
- Krishna's Butterball
- Shore Temple
- Ganesha Ratha
- Varaha Cave Temple
- Sthalasayana Perumal Temple
- Raya Gopuram