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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA
and proved to the king the innocence of her husband by exhibiting the other anklet. Shocked by his own atrocious injustice, the king of Madura died. The dire curse of Kaņņaki visited Madura which was consumed to flames.
Its HISTORICAL DATA: Having conceded the historicity of the political set up of the story, scholars have tried to extract material therefrom for reconstructing the early history of the Tamil Nād. The scene of the events in the story is laid in the Chola kingdom, one of the principal cities of which was Puhār, identified with Kāvērippattinam, U aigür being another. In the latter part of the narrative the action is shifted to Madura, the capital of the Pāņdya kingdom. Finally, we pass on to the Chēra kingdom which has no direct bearing with the story proper. It was Ilango, the younger brother of the Chēra king Senguttuvan, who heard the pathetic tale of Kanpaki and moulded it in the form of the present epic. Thus the narrative brings under its purview the three main divisions of the Tamil country and touches almost all the important aspects of its social and political life.
A GLIMPSE OF JAINISM: A perusal of the epic furnishes the following glimpse of the state of Jainism in the Tamil country. Jainism was established on a firm footing; and there flourished in almost all important places Jaina temples, monasteries and other religious institutions. Wending our way first to the Chola capital Puhār itself, the 5th canto informs us that by the side of the temples and organisations of Brahmanical and other faiths there existed Jaina temples and institutions inside the city. Outside the city were Śrīkõil and other sacred establishments. Again in the 9th canto we meet with an allusion to the temple of Nirgranthas.' The 10th canto opens with the parting account of Kõvalan and Kaņņaki from the city of Puhār. After paying due respects to a temple of Vishņu and the Buddhist Vihāras on the way, they reached a holy place of worship. As the description of this place is interesting I shall cite it in detail.
"They then worshipped, and went round the highly shining Silātala which was the abode of Arhat, jointly built by the Jaina householders for the benefit of the Chāraņas who would assemble on festive days, such of the first freshes (in the Kāvērī) and of the car-festival, under the entrancingly cool shade of the golden flowered Asöka tree, standing on a high platform where the great community of five (Paramëshțhins ) converged.
1 Silappadikäram, translated by V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar, Oxford University
Press, 1939, p. 118. All my references bereafter will be to this book. But wherever I thought it necessary, I have referred to the original work and made suitable
alterations and additions in my oitations 3 Ibid., p. 182. $ Ibid., p. 187.