Panchapandava Cave at Pallavaram, a Pallava Period Rock Cut Cave, now as Mosque / Dargah, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

.... A continuation post to Hazrath Syed Badrudeen Dargah, Pallavaram – A Heritage Visit.

30^th July 2017.

The Pallavaram has a prehistoric connection, in which Robert Bruce Foote discovered a Paleolithic tool ( Hand axe ) in Pallavaram Hills during 1863 AD. A 5-cell rock-cut cave temple was excavated by the Pallava King Mahendravarman-I, during the 7^th century AD, like Mamandur, Mahabalipuram, Trichy, and Mandagapattu.  Through this, the area was named Pallavapuram which later turned into Pallavaram. The rock-cut Cave temple was dedicated to Brahma, Shiva,  Vishnu, and deities installed in the other two cells are not known.  The central cell is projecting in the front compared to the other five cells.  How this hill has got Panchapandavar Malai and cave as Pancha Pandava cave temple, do not know and there is no evidence or record available. The Cave temple had huge pillars and Pilasters.  The beam has the inscription of Mahendravarman–I.

If anybody goes through these details, tries to locate and visit, definitely will get disappointed.  The cave has been taken over by the Muslims, and a Mogul architecture Dargah (ASTHANA-E-MOULA ALI (A.S) DARGAH (WAKF) has been constructed abutting the cave temple. Floors and walls have been fixed with tiles and the front elevation looks like a Mosque or Dargah. The road leading to the cave temple also has been changed to Dargah Road.

LOCATION OF THE PALLAVA ROCK CUT CAVE:    CLICK HERE

The old drawing of the cave 

The present dargah 

The present dargah interior 

The entrance 

..... To be Continued M S Subbulakshmi and Kanchi Mahaswami Gallery – A Heritage visit

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---