2000 Year Old Brick Temple Revealed by Tsunami

Tsunami hit Asia on 26th December 2004 and claimed around 220,000 lives, which was an unfortunate event in the history of Asia. Perhaps the only good thing due to that Tsunami was the discovery of 2000 year old brick temple near Tiger’s cave, which is located at a distance of around 52 km from Chenna city, India. Tiger’s cave is hardly 5 km from the architecturally beautiful Mamallapuram town.

When Tsunami hit Mamallapuram and surrounding area in December 2004, the remains of an ancient brick temple was unearthed by Tsunami. This temple is believed to be built during 1st century BC and 2nd century AD. The temple was dedicated to Lord Muruga (aka Subramanya and Karthikeya), son of Lord Shiva. The period was possibly the Tamil Sangam Age. An inscription in Tamil on a rock near the excavated site led to the discovery of the temple. The rock, lodged in sand, was exposed fully by the tsunami that struck this area.

It is believed that the original temple was built using bricks during 1st century BC and 2nd century AD. It should be noted that the temples were built using bricks 2000 years back. It is also believed that this temple was subsequently converted into a granite temple during 8th century AD or 9th century AD by Pallava kings, who were responsible for the architectural marvels in Mamallapuram and Tiger’s cave. This is the first brick temple discovered in Tamil Nadu state of India.

It might not be a complete structure today and it might be just an excavation of temple remains. Still, it is really exciting to find ourselves stand in front of an ancient cultural symbol.

You can reach this place easily either by public transport or on your own, as the place is located well on the main road – East Coast Road (ECR) the road connecting Chennai and Mamallapuram cities.

Along with this place, you can also visit Tiger’s cave, rock cut Shiva temple and a beautiful beach. All these four sites are located next to next.

Happy travelling.