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110 JAINA ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF TAMILNADU
"Jaina monastic institution in Tamil Country is unique in that there were lady teachers: referred to Kurathiyar Kurathi adigal. They took leading part in social and religious activities. When we study the epigraphs of the Tamilnadu we come across for the first time, a large number of women who were not merely the lay followers of the faith or even solitary recluses and nuns, but also played the role of teachers and preceptors guiding the religious activities of the creed".4
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Caves and caverns with stone beds got embellished, as it were with `darsana bimbas' and gradually formed the institutions for both religious and social education. These sacred places attracted all section of the people and pupils. They were attracted and impressed by the piety, erudition and sterling character of the Jaina monks.
Jaina hermitages have become veritable centres of theological and regular education. With the increase in number of novices to the monastic orders and lay public, the number of hermitages increased and spread to all parts of the Tamil Nadu.
Jaina monasteries, both extant and extinct can be noted in three epicenters 1. Madurai region. 2. Pudukottai region 3. Thondaimandalam. Most of the ancient Jaina monasteries sprang up during the Pallava and Pandya rule and a few during Chola rule.
Madurai Region
Jaina inscriptions from the Madurai region reveal that there flourished in this area a renowned monastery, viz., Kurandi Tirukkattampalli. This palli formed the pivot and around it flourished various centres of Jaina monastery. The exact location of this extinct Jaina monastery is not traceable. But the
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