About 16km north of Pudukkottai is Sittannavasal , is a small Jain cave temple that conceals magnificent vegetable-oil frescoes. The shrine is small, but the cave is widely ignored by day trippers, which means you’ll likely get to appreciate these masterpieces of Jain art on your own. Note the Edenic garden paradise painted on the main ceiling, which conceals fish, mythical sea monsters and beautiful water maidens. Or try making your ‘Om’ echo across an acoustic masterpiece of a meditation chamber, where statues of Jain saints sit in cross-legged repose.
