Madavoorpara Siva temple located in Thiruvananthapuram district is a rock cut temple located in the outskirts of Trivandrum city. This temple is an ancient one dating back to 850 A.D. The temple and the surroundings are now under the protection of the State Archaeological Department. The temple has a carved idol of Lord Siva and a carving of Ganapathi on the wall in the right side. There is also a carving of the local chieftain on the left side of the temple.

One of the legends about the origin of the cave temple says that the shrine was built by a Buddhist monk centuries ago. Some believe that the temple was built by Jains. Rock cut temples are one of the main styles of Kerala architecture during ancient period and it is believed that the temple was constructed during 7-9 century AD. This cave temple is found at the mid portion of the rock.

To reach the shrine, one has to climb more than 200 steps. The images and idols are carved on the walls in relief style. There is an ancient vattezhuth inscription near the shrine. The Madavoorpara temple is managed by Sree Rama Dasa Mission, Thiruvananthapuram. The temple premise is declared as a protective area by the Archeology Department, Government of Kerala.

Source:

http://ranjithsudhakaran.blogspot.in/2012/01/sunday-visit-to-madavoorpara-rock-cut.html

http://www.keralawindow.net/templesoftrivandrum.htm