What is "narthamalai"

Narthamalai(Tamil:நார்த்தாமலை), a cluster of small hills, is 25 km from Trichy on the Trichy- Pudukottai highway in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Here can be seen some of the oldest rock cut cave temples, as well as the longest rock-cut edicts, similar to Asokan edicts and extremely rare in the south of India. The town houses Vijayalaya Choleeswaram built during the 9th century. The two rock-cut temples are classic examples of how temple architecture styles were fusing in different parts of the country.