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the Saivites and the Vaisnavites, united together and considered the Jaina religion as their common enemy. Political powers also took sides in the grim battle of religions. When this evangelic wave reached Kanyakumari, a thorough change took place in its religious set-up. Every Siva temple was allowed to have a shrine of Visnu and vice versa. The Risaba maṇḍapa of a Siva shrine was allowed to have the images of Rama and Laksmana (Keralapuram Temple). The parikrama by the pilgrims uttering the name of Lord Visnu (Govinda, Govinda) on Sivaratri was arranged during this period as a token of their integration. They have adopted many doctrines of Jainism especially vegetarianism and temple worship in place of animal sacrifice to attract the common people. Apart from this the fanatical zeal of a few Hindu scholars drove away all the adherents of Jainism from the land and a number of Jaina shrines were converted into Hindu places of worship. The persecution of the Jaina disputants in this district is attested by the ceremony of impalement of the Jainas (Kaluvettal) celebrated every year in Suchindrum on the sixth night of the annual festival held in December-January. (Suchindrum Temple by Dr. K. K. Pillai, Page 224). If the history of Kanyakumari district is approached with an unbiassed outlook certainly Jainism will occupy an important place in its religious aspect.
Parsvanatha
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