Village: Ittiva
Taluk: Kottarakkara
GPS Coordinates: 8° 88’ 85.0” N 76° 90’ 41.2” E
Notification Year: 1966
The Kottukkal rock-cut temple of Ittiva, Kottarakkara, the foremost example of rock-cut temples in Kerala, is dated to the 8th –9th century C.E. The temple has two rock-cut chambers facing the east, chiselled out from one single rock. Of them, the larger cell has garbhagriha, ardhamandapa, and a pillared facade. A monolithic bull (Nandi) and Sivalinga can be seen in both cells. The mukhamandapa of the bigger cell has two pillars carved in rock. A carved figure of Ganapathy, projected on the wall of the mukhamandapa, is the stand out feature of this temple. A standing figure of Hanuman is carved in one of the niches of the small cell, along with the idol of Nandi. It might be the depiction of the Nandi-Vanara (monkey) episode described in the Puranas.
