English: Located about 10 kilometers to the southwest of Madurai is the suburban town of Thirupparankundram (also spelled Thiruparankundram) with a massive monolithic rock. Several Jain and Hindu rock-cut monuments and temples dating from about 1st-century BCE to 15th-century CE are found all around this rock including the famous Tirupparamkundram Murugan Temple on the north face of the rock.

The Thiruparankundram rock-cut cave, also called Umai Andar cave, is on the south side. It has three layers of carvings. On the outer wall are a few Jina reliefs and Jainism monuments, likely carved between 1st-century BCE and pre-5th century era. Another layer of carvings on the outer wall in the open include Ganesha (Vinayaka) and Shaiva saints, which are likely from 6th to 8th-century. The rock-cut temple with mandapa, sanctum and inscriptions inside are dated between 8th- and 13th-century. All of the Jain and Hindu reliefs show signs of deliberate damage. This is likely to have occurred in or after the 13th-century, because the inscription reverentially praises and refers to a 13th-century Pandya ruler, who would not have allowed his name to be included before defaced and damaged reliefs.

The rock-cut temple is a Hindu monument. The mandapa includes two very long inscriptions, along with defaced and damaged Nataraja with Sivakami, Kalbhairava, Ganesha with a bowl of sweets, Muruga (Kartikeya, Skanda) with a peacock, and a king with two wives. Inside the sanctum is Shiva-Parvati in the form of Ardhanarishwara (half male, half female) with Nandi bull standing behind.