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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA (THE EARLY PHASE)
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Poyagaimalai74 is eleven miles to the west of Tirumangalam in Madura district. In a natural cave of this hill a series of Jina sculptures are carved in relief. The hill is popularly known as Samanar Kovil or Jaina temple.
Settipodavu75 (meaning 'the hollow of the eminent merchant) is an extremely interesting cavern near Kilakkudi, a village in Madura tāluk. It was undoubtedly a very popular Jaina resort from early times. A large number of interesting inscriptions have been found here. These inscriptions supply us with important information regarding the Jaina religion of later times; all these matters will be discussed in a later chapter. Uttampalai76 is a Jaina site in Periyakulan tāluk and has several interesting inscriptions.
In the district of Tinnevelly there was an extremely important stronghold of the Jaina faith in a place now called Kalugumalai.77 This hill has treasured natural caverns with beds and inscriptions in Brāhmi characters. A very large number of later Jaina inscriptions and sculptures have also been found from this hill.
Among other celebrated Jaina sites of Tamil Nadu, the following may be mentioned: Pāțalipura78 (South Arcot), Colavaiņdipuram"9 (South Arcot), Pancapāņdavamalai80 (North Arcot). In the former Pudukkottai state, now part of Tamil Nadu, we have the following interesting Jaina sites: Sittannavašal,81 Nārttāmala, 82 Aluruttimalai,83 Bommamalai,84 Melamalai,85 Tenimalai,86 Chettipatti,87 and others.
A number of sites in modern Kerala connected with Jainism have been discovered. We have already noted that according to the Silappadikāram there was a well-known Jaina monastery near the Cera capital Vanji Tiruccanttumalai, 88 also known as the hill of the Caranārs near Chitaral in this state was a famous Jaina centre of pilgrimage in ancient times. The temple is now known as the shrine of Bhagavatī, but the icons here abundantly testify that it was a Jaina centre. In the natural cave at the top of the hill there are beautiful Jaina sculptures and inscriptions from the eighth to the tenth centuries AD, which will be discussed later. Jaina sculptures and inscriptions have also been discovered from Nagarkoyil. 89
Let us turn our attention to the state of Jainism during the days of the Pallavas. The Pallavas, as is well-known, were Brahmanical Hindus. There are however indications that during the reign of the Pallavas, Jainism remained one of the dominant religious systems and more than one royal member of the dynasty favoured the monks belonging to this sect.
