________________
Xvii
and Krsnadēvarāya gave them relief by converting their lands into sarvamanya. Jinakāñci temples shared in the lavish endowments that Krşņadēvarāya (1509-29) made to religious institutions in the south. Acyutarāya's (530-42) gift to a Jaina temple at the request of Velur Bomma Nayaka (1532) also deserves notice.
That the grants of lands to jaina pallis were considered as sacred and irrevocable as dēvadanam or brahmadē yam lands is proved by the careful exclusion of all paļliccandam lands in sales or gifts of villages to Siva or Vişņu temple or private individuals. Like Siva and Visņu temples, Jaina temples also held lands in absolute ownership (tirunāmattūkkāņi) and also enjoyed lands made over for festivals (tiruvilāppuram), sivigaippuram, etc.,) and for specified services (tirupalli elucci), etc. The palsiccandam lands were demarcated by stones with triple umbrella carved on them (tirumukkudaikkal).
The establishment of Muslim rule in Madurai spelt the ruin of Jaina temples in common with those of the other sects. There was a partial revival under Vijayanagar rule: but the Nayak principalities of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries neglected Jaina institutions, which succumbed to inanition. Except in a few villages and towns such as Jinakāñci, Sirrāmūr, Tirumalai, and Kumbakonam, Jainism has practically disappeared form the Tamil country.'
The late Prof. Chakravarti's work which is now placed in the hands of the scholars in its revised and
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
