Jain Journal 1989 07

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

Page 12

JULY, 1989
a member of the family of Kuviran. The stone beds found at Vikkiramangalam are locally known as undankal, the exact meaning of which cannot be ascertained at the present state of our knowledge.
12. Mettuppatti (Siddharmalai) : About a mile north of Mettupatti which is about six miles south of Nelakottai is a hill commonly called Siddharmalai. On the southern slope of the hill about half way down is a huge cavern measuring 297' in length and 6'8" in height and has two rows of five beds, cut on the sloping rock each with a pillow loft. Brahmi inscriptions datable to the 2nd-1st centuries B.C. are engraved at the head side of the beds. Most of these label inscriptions refer to personal names such as Antai Ariti, Antai Iravatan, Antai Visuvan, Antai Sentan, Kavira Antai etc. As these names are prefixed with the epithet 'Antai' which means 'Holy Father', they may be taken to mean the names of resident monks of the monastery at Mettupatti. In one of the records, it is stated that the stone bed was the gift of the people of a place called Tidiyil. Very likely, it is the modern Tidiyan, a hamlet near Dindigul in Madurai district. 23
RAMANATHAPURAM DISTRICT
13. Kunrakkudi : Kunrakkudi, commonly known as Kunnakkudi, is a small village in Tiruppattur taluk of Ramanathapuram district and lies at a distance of about five miles from Karaikkudi town. The place derives its name from the small hillock found amidst the village. Three rock-cut shrines dedicated to Lord Siva are found at different levels of the hill, while on the top is a structural edifice enshrining Muruga. On the western side of the Muruga temple is a natural cavern with stone beds used by the Jaina mendicants in olden days. A little away from the cavern is a rock-cut well which must have supplied water to the resident monks.
Two fragmentary early inscriptions are engraved on the inner side of the overhanging rock of the cavern. The first inscription is written not only upside down, but also in the reverse form. One may find that the top portion of the alphabets is at the bottom while their base is at the top. Further, the letters are incised reverse as found in the matrix of seal.24 It reads, 'Atancattan of Piyur' and possibly it may be taken to mean that Atanchattan was the resident monk of the cavern, who hailed
23 T. V. Mahalingam, Op. cit., pp. 258-266. 24 Ibid., p. 286.