File:Lalitankura temple, Upper cave temple, Rock fort Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu Inscriptions 04.jpg

English: One of two cave temples found at the Rock fort, Trichy. The upper cave can be reached after a steep climb by stairs. It is below the Ganesha temple at the very top (Ucchi-Pillaiyar temple).

The cave was excavated in early 7th-century, sponsored by the Pallava king Mahendravarman I, famed as a patron of arts, temple, and infrastructure. The temple has one major relief panel, extensive inscriptions, and a sanctum with Shivalinga (original missing). Michael Rabe calls this cave temple a masterpiece and magnificent representation of Gangadhara and the associated Hindu legend.

The wall relief show Siva as the lord of the Himalayan river Ganges symbolized as a goddess. However, the carvings and the inscription prose is multireferential in such a way that the text can be read two ways: one summarizing the Hindu legend of Shiva's role in taming the mighty river Ganges; or, another summarizing the victories of Mahendravarman I in the southern lands and river Kaveri. The inscriptions are vivid, attest to the well developed writing scripts in use by the Tamil people by the early 7th-century. Some of the Sanskrit inscriptions are damaged, the sculpture of Parvati and a large linga was removed or destroyed after the 14th-century.

For a discussion and translation of the inscription, see South Indian Inscriptions Vol XII, particularly issues 8 and 9.

A partial summary of the inscriptions may be found here (by Saurabh Saxena (2010), Puratattva).