Sittannavasal is located about fifteen kilometers north west of Pudukkottai.This natural cavern located on the summit of a middle hill at middle level is quite spacious and has a low roof. There are about 17 beds, a rectangular evened floor-spaces with a sort of stone pillow, marked out for the use of Jain asetics to perform austerities such as kayotsarga and sallechana. Many of the beds are inscribed, the earliest of them in the late 2nd century BCE Brahmi characters in Tamil language recoding that ‘Cirupocil IIayar made this atitaanam (=adhisthanam, abode or a dwelling place), for Kavuti Iten who was born at Kumuthur in the Eominnadu”. Cirupocil seems to be the ancient name of Sittannavasal whereas Eominadu is the region around modern Tindivanam. This bed also has inscriptions in 7th century CE characters indicating the long use of the bed and the cavern by Jain asetics. The other inscription gives names of various Jaina monks, all indicating that the shelter was in use from 2nd century BC to 13th century CE.
