Jain Journal 1989 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 10

JANUARY, 1989
old and new. Among them, a Navadevata contains an inscription recording its installation by Parsvanainar, Cakravartinainar and Rsabhadas of the village Karadippakkam, after successfully completing the observance of Adityavrata in the month of Krttika of the Tamil year Pramatisa, which corresponds to 1913 A.D.4 The donors are said to be members of one and the same family and among them, Cakravartinainar became the hereditary trustee of the Appandainatha temple. The temple complex grew horizontally and vertically due to the relentless efforts of Cakravartinainar and his successors. Being childless for a longtime, Cakravartinainar's wife, Sivadeviammal, observed severe austerities for forty-eight days propitiating the presiding deity of Tirunarungondai. The lord conferred upon grace to the couple and consequently a female child was born to them. In order to commemorate this, the lady installed a stone sculpture of Saturn, one of the nine planetary deities, at the foot of the hill. The inscription engraved on the pedestal of the same image reveals that it was installed by Sivadeviammal, the wife of Cakravartinainar of Karadippakkam, in the year 1935.5 Perhaps to ward off the evil effects of Saturn, his image was consecrated at the foot of the hill. This belief has given rise to the practice of every devotee circumambulating without fail the sculpture of Saturn, after offering worship to the main deities atop the hill.
79
Chittamur is the headquarter of the Digambara Jain Community with a matha presided over by a succession of pontiffs from the 16th century down to modern times. Besides, there are two temples, one known as Malainatha and the other Parsvanatha temple. Two epigraphical records have been brought to light from the Parsvanatha temple. The first one is engraved on the basement of the five subsidiary shrines built to the north of the main shrine. It records that the five shrines of Brahmadeva, Ganadhara, Sarasvati, Padmavati and Jvalamalini were constructed with the approval of the pontiff of the Chittamur matha by Gunamalaiammal, the wife of Sri Balaiya of Tirupparumbur, the then deputy collector. The lady also granted one kāņi of land for offerings to these five deities. Their consecration took place in the month of Vaisakha
4 sri tirunarungondai caityalayatirkku karadippakkam parisanainar cakravartinainar rsabhadasanainar adityavavara nonbu nimittam ceyyappattatu pramatisa varusham karttigai matham 1913.
5 cakravartinainar pariyalana sivadeviammal satha sevai karadippakkam 1935
varusham.