Jain Journal 1989 01

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

Page 11

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of the Tamil year Subhakritu, Saka 1825 and Kali 5004 which is equivalent to May 1903.6
Sri Balaiya, hailing from Tirupparambur near Kancipuram, was Deputy Collector looking after the administration of Gingee region of the old Madras Presidency under the British regime. Being a pious Jain, he had been responsible for the renovation of numerous temples in South Arcot and North Arcot districts. The inscription under study reveals the keen interest evinced by his wife in the development of the Chittamur temple.
The second inscription is noticed on a pillar in the alamkāramaṇḍapa of the same temple. It states that Svasti Sri Laksmisena Bhattaraka Bhattacarya, the pontiff of the Jinakanchi matha at Chittamur, renovated the Parsvatirthankara-maṇḍapa (i.e., alamkāramaṇḍapa) on 22nd monday, the auspicious full-moon day, in the month of Tai of the Tamil year Vrute and Saka 1873, corresponding to 1951 A.D. The record incidentally mentions the other pontifficial pithas at Delhi, Kolhapur and Penukonda. We come to know from other epigraphs that the prākāra wall along with the gopura of the temple was constructed in the year 1865 A.D. very likely, the alamkāramaṇḍapa also had its completion in the same year. Subsequently, the maṇḍapa got dilapidated and hence it had to be repaired and renovated in 1951 at the initiative of the mathapathi.
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om svasti sri salivahana sahaptaha 1825 kaliyaptaha 5004 prabhavati sahaptaha 35 melchellaninra varusham subhakritu nama samvatsaram vaikasa matham 11 tiyathi tirupparambur dipty kalaktar sri balaiya avarkal kalatrium madu sri gunamalaiammal than athyobhavarga sukhanimittam chittamur sannathiyil svastisri srimad abhinava lakshmisena bhattaraka svamigal aknanumatiyin peril sarasvati mudalana aindu ammanai sannathiyil seivithu pratishta mahotsvamum seivikka pattatu itarku neivethiyathirku nanjai nilattil kani vidappattatu.
7 svasti sri salivahana sahaptam sahasrasta saptatitri vikruti samvatsare utrayane pusyamasa sutta paurnami subhayogatinattil somavaram tirutiyil parsvatirthankara mandapam punarutaranam svastisri nijakadiga dilly
kollapura jinakanji
penukonda chaturtta siddha
simhasana tisvararahiya laksmisena
bhattaraka bhattacaryavarya svamigal
parsvanatha jinalayattil
punaruttaranam seytu vaikkappattatu
salivahana sahaptam..
vikrute varusham taimasam 22.
9 A. Ekambaranathan, The History of Chittamur, pp. 31-32.