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RECENTLY DISCOVERED JAINA INSCRIPTIONS
Dr.P. JAYAKUMAR
Lecturer,
Dept. of Ancient History & Archaeology,
University of Madras, Chennai - 600 005
Jaina inscriptions of Tamilnadu which belong to several centuries have been studied extensively by various scholars from different angles. Of these studies, the recent publication entitled, Early Tamil Epigraphy: from the Earliest Times to Sixth Century AD1, a study on early Tamil Brahmi and Vatteluttu inscriptions mostly from rock-shelters and caves, by Iravatham Mahadevan, is a magnum opus. This voluminous work deals with various aspects like discovery of the records, their decipherment, palaeography, orthography, language, grammar and socio-religious matters as gleaned from the early Tamil inscriptions. The author's multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the early inscriptions of Tamilnadu proves beyond doubt that these lithic records are of Jaina affilication as against the earlier views of some scholars who had attributed them to the Buddhist sect. Evidently, Jainism wielded considerable influence over the Tamil society from
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