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JAINA EPIGRAPHS
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Antiquity of Jainism in Tamilnadu.
The earliest lithic records i.e., the Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions numbering around one hundred found nearly in 30 sites in Tamilnadu shed valuable light on the advent of Jainism in this region around 5th or 4th century B.C. However, Shri I. Mahadevan in his recent magnum opus book entitled "Early Tamil Epigraphy from the earliest times to 6th century A.D.". fixes the date of these early inscriptions to 2nd century B.C. and traces the advent of Jainism in Tamil country through Karnataka which is based on the Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya legend and these monks were responsible for the introduction of the Tamil-Brahmi script in Tamilnadu. Further, inorder to strengthen his theory of Karnataka origin, he has read some of the inscriptions with old Kannada influence. For instance, he quoted the famous Sittannavasal, Tirupparankunram, Edakal and Nekanurpatti inscriptions. The word Eruminadu, a territorial division mentioned in Sittannavasal inscription, could have been a locality within Pudukkottai region and not in Mysore, i.e., Mahisha Mandala, as referred to by I. Mahadevan. The next word Kavuti in the same inscription has been equvated with gauda or gavinda is a farfetched one.
Kaviti is a title, which appears in the late inscription too in Tamilnadu and the caste name Gauda, is the derivation of Kamindan. The word first appears in Kannada inscription around 8th century A.D. and frequently figures in the inscriptions of Kongu region as the caste title of Kongu Vellalas (agricultural group of people) and later on it became Gauda in Karnataka. According to I. Mahadevan the word sirupovil also has kannada influence and he has taken
this word as posulu or hosulu, a kannada term. This Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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