Rockfort, Tiruchirappalli

The Rockfort stands on an outcrop of Archaean gneiss dated to roughly three and a half to three point eight billion years, among the oldest rock exposed anywhere on earth, rising about eighty-three metres above the plain beside the Kaveri. The Pallavas cut cave temples into it in the seventh century, and above them the Thayumanaswami temple to Shiva occupies a mid-level terrace with the small Ucchi Pillayar Ganesha temple on the very summit, reached by a stair of around four hundred steps cut into the rock. The view takes in the Kaveri, Srirangam's gopurams and the whole city.

What you actually see

• The ancient rock - gneiss among the oldest exposed on the planet.
• The Pallava cave temples - seventh-century sanctuaries cut into the outcrop.
• The summit Ganesha shrine - the small temple on the highest point.
• The city view - the Kaveri and Srirangam's towers from the top.

When to go

October to March; the plains are severely hot from March and the steps are stone. Mornings and evenings avoid the worst heat. Shoes are removed at the base of the climb.

Honest expectations

The climb is barefoot on hot stone, which is punishing in the middle of the day. Non-Hindus are restricted from the inner shrines. Photography is limited inside the temples.

Nearby

Srirangam lies north across the river; Thanjavur is east.