Sittanavasal:
With much of the art in Sittanavasal either damaged or vandalised, the Archaeological Survey of India has undertaken conservation measures and also introduced digital checks to track public access.
- Sittanavasal is considered by historians to be one of the oldest inhabited areas in the district and a major centre of Jain influence.
- This is the only place in Tamil Nadu where we can see Pandya paintings.
- The artwork on the ceiling of the sanctum and the Ardha mandapam of Arivar Kovil is an early example of post-Ajanta cave paintings of the fourth to sixth centuries, done using the fresco-secco technique.
- The ceiling paintings show ‘bhavyas’ (exalted souls who work to achieve moksha or spiritual liberation) enjoying themselves in a pool, full of blooming lotuses; today much of it is obscured by patchy plastering.
- Faint outlines linger of dancing girls on the ‘ Ardha mandapam’ pillars.
