What is Ucchi Pillayar Temple?
Q: What is Ucchi Pillayar Temple?
A: Ucchi Pillayar Temple is a 7th-century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh located atop of Rockfort in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
Q: What is the mythological significance of this temple?
A: According to mythology, this rock is the place where Lord Ganesh ran from King Vibishana after establishing the Ranganathaswamy deity in Srirangam.
Q: How tall is the Rock Fort temple?
A: The Rock Fort temple stands 83m tall perched atop the rock.
Q: Who built and completed the temples at this site?
A: The smooth rock was first cut by the Pallavas but it was the Nayaks of Madurai who completed both the temples under the Vijayanagara empire.
Q: Who maintains Ucchi Pillayar Temple?
A: Ucchi Pillayar Temple is maintained by the Archaeological department of India.
Q: Why was it necessary for another group to complete what had been started by Pallavas?
A: It appears that while the Pallavas began construction on these temples, they were unable to finish them before their reign ended and so it fell upon another group - namely, Nayaks of Madurai - to complete them under Vijayanagara empire.
