Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar temple is an ancient rock-cut cave shrine dedicated to Ganesha, located at Thiruppatthur, Sivaganga district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

Karpaga Vinayagar koil is one of the oldest Cave Temples (Rock Cut) of Tamilnadu and the town of Pillaiyarpatti is named after ‘Pillayar’ – the Tamil name for Lord Ganesha, and this ancient temple houses rock cut images of Shiva, Lingodbhavar and others as well.

The Vinayagar sannidhi (Sanctom Sanctorum) is a cave where the 6 feet of Karpaga Vinayagar has been carved inside. As this is a cave formation, there is no provision to go around for the pradakshina. The inner sanctum is well illuminated with oil lamps and the whole idol is covered with gold. It is only during the Abhishekam, or the holy bath, when one can see the full idol in its pristine glory.

The temple was built under patronisation of Pandyas. The age of the cave temple is 2500 years or more. There are 14 stone Sculptures in the cave (dated from 500 BC to 1284 AD). These stone Sculptures state the ancient names of Pillaiyarpatti such as Ekkattoor, Thiruveenkaikkudi, Maruthangudi, and Rajanarayanapuram.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karpaka_Vinayakar_Temple