Overview
A Jain hill complex of caves, temples and a sixteen-foot monolithic Neminatha, with an active math re-established in 1998 and surviving paintings of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. Sect: Digambara.
History
The complex dates from at least the ninth century CE, with a 1024 CE inscription recording the Kundavai Jinalaya. The Neminatha statue's own date and its popular attribution to Kundavai are explicitly disputed: one source states directly that proof is not available. Recorded here as disputed.
Spiritual Significance
Tirumalai holds the largest Jain sculpture in Tamil Nadu and a body of painting one source compares to Ajanta in artistic quality. The Kundavai Jinalaya ties it to the Chola court.
Pilgrimage Information
Getting there and getting in. On a hill northwest of Polur; no detailed access information was found. Jain temples of this rank commonly prohibit leather articles, restrict photography, and expect bathing before worship. Where this page does not state a restriction, it is because no source documented one for this particular site, not because none applies. Confirm on arrival.
Preservation
Protection status. The caves and temples are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Sources
- Tirumalai, Tamil Nadu other
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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