Tirukkalukkunram, "the sacred hill of the Eagles" also called ‘Pakshitirtham’ near Mamallapuram in Tamilnadu, is one of the sacred Saivite centres sung by the Tamil saints of the 7th century and later times but also known for its temples of remarkable architecture, sculptures and iconography. It has a rock-cut temple of Narasimhavarman I Pallava (7th) the picturesque Vedagirisvara Temple at the top of the hill and the magnificent temple complex of Bhaktavatsalesvara in the heart of the town. The temples contain numerous inscriptions belonging to the Pallava, Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagara periods attesting to the remarkable historical continuity and change for more than 1200 years. The role of these temples in the social, cultural and religious traditions and heritage of Tamilnadu is presented here by the author with his scholarly insight. The illustrations of the splendid Gopuras, the ornamental Kalyana-mandapa, the exquisite sanctum types, the finely planned spacious tanks like the Sangu-tirtham are bound to invite the admiration of the art-historians and town-planners.
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