The Vijayalaya Cholisvara at Narttamalai is of the earliest and grandest of the structural stone temples built during the time of Vijayalaya. On the hillock of Melamalai at Narttamalai, there are two rock-cut cave temples and group of structural stone shrines opposite to them. Cave Temple 1 is a rock-cut cave popularly known as ‘Samana Kudagu’ (Cave of the Jains). It was probably a Jaina cave of about the seventh century CE. Now it has features of a Vaishnavite shrine with a cella and a hall (mandapa), both scooped out of rock. There are twelve images of Vishnu – two on the sides and five each on the two sides of the doorway leading to the sanctum. The twelve figures perhaps represent those of the twelve names of Vishnu. A stone entrance hall (mukhmandapa) was also built about the same time and a later inscription dating to the Kulottunga I (1115 CE) has been traced which states that the name of the Vaishnavite deity was “Tirumer-Koyil Karumanikka Devar” at “Telunga Kula-Kala Nagaram” as Narttamali was called in that period. References: S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1966, p.47.