TempleEntrée gratuite

Tiger Cave

#10sur 10 lieux à visiter à MahabalipuramMahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

Aussi appelé Yali Mandapam · Saluvankuppam Cave

L'essentiel

Horaires d'ouverture : 07:00–18:00. L'entrée est gratuite. Comptez 45 min. Meilleure période : 07:00 – 09:00.

Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026 · Rédigé par Traveliac, avec assistance IA · 4 min de lecture

ItinéraireSite officiel

Photo: Ravichandar84 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Horaires d'ouverture: 07:00–18:00
Prix d'entrée: Gratuit
Durée nécessaire: 45 min
Meilleur moment de la journée: 07:00 – 09:00
Meilleurs mois: Oct – Mar
Adresse: Saluvankuppam, Mahabalipuram, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu 603104

À propos de Tiger Cave

Tiger Cave sits roughly 4 kilometres north of central Mahabalipuram at Saluvankuppam, a granite rock outcrop carved into a semicircular arrangement of eleven yali heads — leonine mythical creatures rather than literal tigers, despite the name that has stuck since colonial-era antiquarians first catalogued the site. The carved heads ring a raised niche that once likely held an image of Durga, and the composition's open, stage-like geometry has led some archaeologists to read it as a royal performance space as much as a shrine, used for courtly ceremony under the Pallavas rather than for daily worship. Its coastal setting, a short walk from a working fishing beach, sets it apart from every other monument on the main list.

Meilleur moment de la journée : 07:00 – 09:00. For the quietest coastal light and minimal crowds at the site.

Horaires de Tiger Cave

Tiger Cave ouvre à 07:00 et ferme à 18:00. Les horaires sont les mêmes le samedi et le dimanche.

Horaires d'ouverture: 07:00–18:00; Mon–Sun 07:00–18:00
Fermé le: Ouvert tous les jours

Mon–Sun	07:00–18:00

Bon à savoir : Extended daylight in summer months may keep the site accessible until approximately 19:00.

Horaires d'ouverture établis à partir de incredibleindia.gov.in et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Prix d'entrée de Tiger Cave

Entry fees for Tiger Cave
Billet	Prix
Visiteurs indiens	Gratuit
Visiteurs étrangers	Gratuit
Enfants	Gratuit
Caméra	Gratuit

No ASI admission fee. A nominal ₹10–₹20 parking charge applies for vehicles at the site's car park, as of 2026.

Tarifs établis à partir de incredibleindia.gov.in et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Meilleure période pour visiter Tiger Cave

Quiet
Moderate

07:00 – 10:00
Early Coastal QuietBest time to go
The site is nearly empty at opening; fishing activity on the adjoining beach is often the only other movement nearby.
Quiet
10:00 – 13:00
Late-Morning Visitors
Travellers who have finished the central Mahabalipuram monuments arrive by auto or taxi for a shorter, standalone stop.
Moderate
13:00 – 16:00
Midday Lull
Heat keeps visitor numbers thin; the open, unshaded carving area is at its least comfortable during this window.
Quiet
16:00 – 18:00
Late Afternoon Beach Light
A modest rise in visitors combines the carving with a walk on the adjacent beach as the light softens.
Moderate

Histoire de Tiger Cave

Tiger Cave was excavated during the Pallava period, most likely under Narasimhavarman I or his immediate successors in the seventh century, at Saluvankuppam, then a settlement distinct from but administratively tied to the port town of Mahabalipuram. Archaeological Survey of India excavations beginning in 2005 uncovered the buried foundations of an early brick Subrahmanya temple immediately beside the rock-cut cave, a structure that predates the stone monuments and had been lost under sand for centuries before ground-penetrating survey work located it. The eleven carved yali heads ringing Tiger Cave's central niche are stylistically close to the lion-base pillars found at Varaha and Mahishasuramardini cave temples in the main town, supporting a seventh-century dating even though no dedicatory inscription survives on site. Local tradition holds that the niche once seated an image of Durga during royal ceremonies, though no image survives today to confirm the deity definitively. UNESCO folded Tiger Cave into the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram inscription in 1984 despite its physical separation from the main cluster of monuments in town.

Règles et étiquette à Tiger Cave

Tiger Cave keeps hours of roughly 07:00 to 18:00 and charges no separate ASI admission fee, since it sits outside the fenced, ticketed precinct that covers only Shore Temple and Five Rathas. A small parking area beside the site charges a nominal ₹10–₹20 fee for two-wheelers and cars. The rock-cut niche and carved heads are unfenced and at arm's reach, so visitors are asked not to climb onto the yali carvings for photographs, a request that is loosely enforced compared with the more heavily staffed monuments in the town centre. The surrounding sandy ground and nearby beach access mean footwear gets full of sand quickly; sandals are more practical here than closed shoes.

Conseils pour visiter Tiger Cave

1
Tiger Cave is worth the short auto or taxi ride north primarily because it sees a fraction of the visitors that Shore Temple and Five Rathas draw, even on weekends, giving a quieter setting to study the eleven yali heads up close. Combine the stop with a walk to the adjacent beach, a short sandy path from the parking area, since the cave's coastal setting is part of its appeal and rarely gets more than a handful of other visitors at once. Autos from central Mahabalipuram do not wait around at Tiger Cave by default, so arrange a return pickup time with the driver before setting off, or confirm mobile network coverage for booking a ride back.

Comment se rendre à Tiger Cave

L'étoile rouge indique Tiger Cave ; les repères numérotés sont les 7 lieux les plus proches de nos guides, chacun avec son classement dans sa ville. Touchez un repère pour plus de détails.

Saluvankuppam, Mahabalipuram, Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu 603104Itinéraire sur Google Maps

Depuis Mahabalipuram Bus Stand
₹150–₹200
4.5 km · 12–15 min
Auto, round trip negotiated
Depuis Shore Temple / ASI Ticket Counter
₹150–₹220
5 km · 15 min
Auto
Depuis Chengalpattu Junction (CGL)
₹600–₹800
33 km · 50–65 min
Auto/cab

Aéroport le plus proche

Depuis Chennai International Airport (MAA)

approximately 54 km, 1h 10m–1h 40m by road via ECR.

Gare la plus proche

Depuis Chengalpattu Junction (CGL)

approximately 33 km, 50–65 minutes by road.

FAQ — Tiger Cave

Is Tiger Cave actually carved with tigers?

No. The eleven carved heads are stylised yali, mythical lion-like creatures common in Pallava and later Dravidian art, not literal tigers; the English name is a colonial-era misreading that has stuck.

Is there an entry fee for Tiger Cave?

No separate ASI ticket is charged; only a nominal ₹10–₹20 parking fee applies for vehicles, unlike the ticketed Shore Temple and Five Rathas.

How far is Tiger Cave from central Mahabalipuram?

Approximately 4 to 5 kilometres north, at Saluvankuppam, roughly 12 to 15 minutes by auto-rickshaw from the main bus stand.

What was discovered near Tiger Cave in 2005?

Archaeological Survey of India excavations uncovered the buried foundations of an early Pallava-era brick Subrahmanya temple immediately beside the rock-cut cave, predating the surviving stone monument.

Rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA à partir de sources officielles et de registres publics, et publié seulement après les vérifications décrites dans Comment nous rédigeons ces guides. Personne chez Traveliac ne s'est rendu sur place. Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Comment nous classons et vérifions les lieux