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Some vestiges of Jainism among the ancient Tamils
The evidence of the early Brahmi inscriptions discovered in the districts of Ramnad and Tinnevelly and attributed to the beginning of the third century B. C. shows that even then Jaina sages had been preaching the faith to the Tamils. The beds cut in natural caves at Anaimalai in the Madura district, Arittāppatti and other places, and the fact that the records coutain a few Tamil words written in Brahmi characters, among which may be mentioned sallekhana, are coming to be regarded as being among the finger-posts of the spread of the Jaina faith among the early Tamils. In several of these, the inscriptions were engraved on the beds themselves; and in some others on the overhanging ledges; and it has been safely surmised that the inscriptions and the beds are synchronous. The caverns, situated at isolated heights in the rocks, with foot-holds leading into them and with beds and pillow-lofts dressed smooth, served as the abodes of recluses, either Bauddha or Jaina, whose wants were far below those of ordinary mortals.
Among the antiquities on the hill of Tiruparankunram in the Madura district are sculptures of naked figures in two places; and the second of these is adorned with a five-hooded serpent bebind it and a triple-umbrella over the head, leaving, no doubt, that it is a representation of the Tirthankara Pārsvanātha. At Alagarmalai, to the north-west of Madura, a Brabmi inscription records that the image to its right was “the work of Ajjanandi.” This name occurs in an inscription by the side of a Jaina piece of sculpture at Anaimalai as well as in the Vatteluttu and the Tamil records below the rockcut Jaina images at Aivarmaiai (No. 692 of 1905), and Uttamapālayam (No. 729 of 1905), and also in one of the rock-inscriptions at Vallimalai (Epig. Ind. ; Vol. IV., p. 141. No. B.). Ajjanandi is thus shown to have been a famous Jaina teacher whose influence was very widely spread over the Tamil Country. The cavern at Alagarmalai was occupied for some time by Ajjanandi and his colleagues ; the piece of sculpture at the place clearly reveals the siddha sana
1 Madras Epigraphist's report for 1908 (P. 47 ) .; 108:
[ Shree Atmaramji
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