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THB JAIN TIRTHAS
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name (the present name of this district has been changed to Chengalpattu, apparently to satisfy Tamil chauvinism). Its history goes back to the days of the Pallavas ; see the Introduction to A. Chakravarti's Jain Literature in Tamil (revised edition, New Delhi, 1970), pp. X ff. The presiding deity of the tirtha is Vardhamāna, and some 17 epigraphs, ranging from the 12th century to the 16th have been found from this temple-complex. Several inscriptions belong to the reign of the Cola kings like Kulottunga I, Vikrama Cola etc. Four epigraphs, of the time of the Vijayanagara kings, like Bukka II and Kțsb padeva are also known. There is little doubt that it was the greatest Jain centre of Tamil Nadu from early times to the modern period. It was also known as Trailokyavallabha temple. There is also a temple of Candraprabha near the main temple of Vardhamāna (see Tirtha Darsan, II, pp. 591f; see also Desai, op.cit., pp. 34 f). For the inscriptions, of this place, see E.1, 7, pp. 115ff.
112. Jirāpalli :-This old tirtha is situated in Sirohi district of Rajasthan and is also known by the name Jirāyalā Pārsvanātha. From quite early times, the temple of this place, was known throughout the Jain world. Velankar lists some six works eulogising the main shrine of this iIrtha (Jinaratnakośa, p. 141). Strangely enough, however, Jinaprabha has ignored this great irtha in his Vividhatirthaka!pa. The KB (pp. 86-87) has mentioned the Pārśva temple-complex of this place, twice in connexion with the activities of the Kharatara ācārya Jina padmasūri in V.S. 1393. We also have references to the monks of the Jirapalli-gaccha who flourished after V.S. 1400. The earliest known inscription (P. C. Nahar, op.cit., II, No. 1049), mentioning this gaccha, is dated in V.S, 1406 ; see also Jain, Ancient Cities etc., pp. 427 ff. This temple, like many other temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat, was destroyed by the Muslims, and afterwards a new mülanayaka, namely Neminātha, emerged as the principal deity of this ancient temple.complex.
