Kalugumalai

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?Kalugumalai Tamil Nadu • India
Kalugumalai
Coordinates: 9°09′N 77°43′E / 9.15, 77.72
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 105 m (344 ft)
District(s)	Toothukudi
Population	14,834 (2001)

Coordinates: 9°09′N 77°43′E / 9.15, 77.72 Kalugumalai is a panchayat town in Toothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Temples
4 Notes
5 References

[edit] Geography

Kalugumalai is located at 9.15° N 77.72° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 105 metres (344 feet).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[2], Kalugumalai had a population of 14,834. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Kalugumalai has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 63%. In Kalugumalai, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Temples

There are many rock cut images dating to the 8th and 9th century A.D. in the area, including the rock cut image of Bhagawan Parshwanatha flanked by two Yaksha, as well as many other rock cut images of other tirthankaras. The area is known for the Jain cave temple and architecture. There is also a Murugan Temple dating to the 18th century.^[3]

Vattuvan Koil (meaning a sculptor's paradise) is a Hindu temple built between the 8th and 9th century. The carvings reflect the southern temple style of the Pandya era. Nearby are rock reliefs of Jain tirthankaras.^[4]

Kalugumalai contains a priceless unfinished Pandyan monolith cave temple, part of the iconographic richness that helped chronicle the burgeoning richness of the Tamil culture, traditions, and sacred centres containing religious art.^[5]