100 



DESCRIPTIVE REMARKS ON 



immediately above No. 32, the Yamapurl excavation, and may bo 

 reached by scrambling up the rocks to the north of the latter. 

 Outside it is very much weather-worn, and the sculptured panels 

 and pilasters, &c, especially those on the east or seaward side, 

 are almost beyond recognition, and the whole structure looks as if 

 it must soon fall down. 



Its interior appears to have been lined with brick masonry 

 and concrete, of which however it has been completely gutted, 

 and the lingam and debris have been thrown over the precipice 

 on the west side. 



In style it bears a resemblance to the other structural temples 

 of the vicinity (No. 6, No. 8, and No. 54), and somewhat also to 

 No. 4, the Valaiyankuttai Monolithic Ratha. 



35. At the extreme south-south-west foot of the rocks, facing 

 the west, is the Varahasvami (Vishnu) Temple, alias " The Cave." 

 This is an enclosed pillared hall or mandapa built out in front of a 

 rock-cut excavation with carved fagade in the prevalent style here. 



The outer built chamber measures 32 feet by 17 feet 6 inches, 

 and 10 feet high, with eight stone pillars like those of No. 15, the 

 Krishna Mandapa. The main or inner chamber, that is, the 

 original rock-hewn mandapa, is about 32 feet long, 15 feet wide 

 and 10 feet 6 inches high, having four lion-based octagonal piers 

 in front and two others without lion-bases. At the back there is 

 an innermost shrine cell, 8 feet 7 inches by 6 feet 7 inches and 

 8 feet 9 inches high. 



A. On the back wall of this shrine there is a bas-relief repre- 



sentation of the Varahasvami Avatara, boar-headed 

 Vishnu, four-armed, supporting Lakshml (? PrithivT, 

 the goddess earth) upon his right thigh, raised by 

 placing the right foot on the head of Adisesha, the 

 Naga (serpent-) hooded being. This sculpture is 

 almost identical with 25 A already described (see Carr, 

 PI. V). 



The main chamber has eight sculptured tableaux : two on each 

 side of the shrine in the back wall, and two at each end. 



B. West compartment of north end wall, a four-armed 



figure (?) standing, perhaps Sri Kama. (Carr, p. 211.) 



