Megalithic era caves found

Description

GS Paper 1: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Context: The ancient rock-cut cave of megalithic period that was found during the renovation of Ananta Padmanabha Temple of Puttige Mutt at Paniyadi in Udupi.

The cave belongs to 800 BC and is of 2,000 years old in antiquity.
Similar megalithic rock-cut caves have been found at Pavanje Subrahmanya Temple, Sooda Subrahmanya Temple, Sasturu Subrahmanya Temple and elsewhere in coastal Karnataka.
This discovery is unique in understanding the antiquity of the Phanis. Pani and Haadi, together forming Paniyadi, means settlement of Phanis.
Phanis were referred to in the Mahabharatha and the Puranas as an ancient original inhabitants of the country.
Places such as Paniyur, Paniyadi in Udupi district indicate the existence of Phanis settlements in the past.
Phanis were famous for their Naga worship while Naga was their totemic emblem.
Paniyadi’s presiding deity Ananta Padbhanabha was also related with Naga worship.
Iconographically, he was Para Vasudeva, a Vaisnavate god. He sits on the Naga coil and the Naga hood stands high on his head.
A similar icon found in Keelinje near Udupi belongs to 10th Century AD, while the Paniyadi deity belongs to 14th Century AD.
The idol of the presiding deity, Ananta Padmanabha, is a unique one as it is in a sitting posture atop Adi Sesha.