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EKAMBARANATHAN : MAHENDRAVARMAN AND JAINISM-A REAPRAISAL
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Dalavanur in Gingee taluk of South arcot district has a Saiva rockcut temple, Satrumalleśvaralaya, on the southern scrap of the huge rock running east to west. Above this temple of Mahandra, at a height of about 80' from the ground level, is a natural cave with two stone beds meant for the Jaina monks, formed by an overhanging rock. 14
There are two fine rock-cut temples, one near the base and the other higher up on the hill, in the town Trichirappalli. The upper one known as Lalitankurapallaveśvaragrham was excavated by king Mahendravarman. In close proximity to this is a natural cavern which once served as a Jaina resort. The cavern is formed by an over hanging boulder on the top of the hill and contains stone beds with brahmi records assignable to 3rd 4th centuries A.D.15 Besides, a fragmentary inscription mentions the name "Chira", denoting that the name of the place was Chirappalli, the suffix emphasising its Jaina association. 16 It continued to be a centre of Jainism in the 7th century A.D. as is attested to by several label inscriptions. 17
The above mentioned places bear evidence of Jainism as well as Saivism. The Jaina resorts in all these places, except at Villappakkam, are certainly earlier than the Saiva rock-cut temples of Mahendravarman. This would go to prove that the king deliberately selected such Jaina hill resorts to create rock-cut edifices of the Saiva order and make them centres of Hindu Worship. Obviously, such a change could have taken place after Mahendra's reconversion to Saivism. K.R. Srinivasan has rightly pointed out that "the choice of the location of the rock-cut temples by Mahendra was apparently more prompted by intent and less by chance", but he does not agree that it was due to the conversion of Mahendra's religion from Jainism to Saivism. 18
The famous Trichi rock-cut temple inscription of the same king also bears undisputable evidence of his change in religious faith. A portion of the lithic record reads as follows:
"Gunabhara namani rajany anena lingene lingini jnanam prathatan ciraya loke vipaksha vritteh paravrittam". 19
14. Ibid., p. 71. 15. I. Mahadevan, Op.cit., Trichirappalli. No. 1. 16. Annual Report on Epigraphy, 1937-38, pt. II, p. 78. 17. Ibid., 132-140/1937-38. 18. K.R. Srinivasan, Op.cit., p.31. 19. SII, Vol.I, Nos.33.
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