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EKAMBARANATHAN MAHENDRAVARMAN AND JAINISM-A REAPRAISAL
Consequently, Appar was subjected to many tortures which, however, by the grace of lord Siva, he could overcome easily. Finally, the king was himself convinced of the greatness of Saivism and became a devotee of Śiva. As a sequel, the king is said to have destroyed the Jaina monastery at Tiruppatirippuliyur and out of its ruins built a Siva temple, Gunadhara-isvaram, naming it after him.3
The hymns of Tirunavukkarasar in the Tevaram collections contain references to his activities in the Jaina monastery at Tiruppatirippuliyur, his ailment due to acute abdominal pain and its alleviation by the grace of god Śiva. It was under the influence of the same saint, Mahendra got reconverted to Saivism. With his reconversion, Jainism suffered a setback and lacked royal support. Appar's activities were now directed against the adherents of Jainism who are denounced in his hymns of Tevaram. Their reconversion coincided with the bhakti movement leading to Hindu revival in the Tamil country and ultimately resulted in a temporary decline of Jainism in the Southern part of the peninsula.5
A peep into the archaeological sources and an analysis of the Sanskrit farce, Mattavilāsaprahasana, would throw welcome light on Mahendra's association with Jainism and his conversion to Saivism, probably at the close of his reign. The Mattavilāsa is a satirical play composed by king Mahendra himself. It humourously ridicules the decadent nature of the Kapilika and Pasupata sects of Saivism and even Buddhism. But the king had not condemned the votaries of the Jaina fold in the play. In a passage of the same work, the Jaina way of attaining salvation (by following the principle of Ahimsa, abstaing from eating of meat, drinking of liquor etc., as against that of the Kapalikas) is alluded to, thus indirectly revealing the king's lenience twards Jainism.
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Mahendra is said to be the pioneer in introducing rock-cut architecture in Tamil Nadu. He excavated a number of rock-cut temples in places like Mandagapattu, Mahendravadi, Mamandur, Mahabalipuram, Pallavaram, Kuranganilmuttam, Talavanur, Siyamangalam, Vilappakkam, Aragandanallur and Trichi. The earliest among them at Mandagapattu was caused to be made for the Hindu trinity, Brahma, Viṣṇu and Isvara.? The cave temples at Mahendravadi, Pallavaram,
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Tirunavukkarasar Puranam, verses. 38-146
Tirunavukkarasar Tevaram, Tiruvatigai Patigam
C. Minakshi, Op.cit., p. 255
Mattaviläsaprahasana, 1.37
South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. XII, No. 12
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