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JAINA ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF TAMILNADU
is actually sirupovil, a Tamil word, later on became Siruvayil the place name. There is a slight difference between ca and va in this inscription.
The word tayiyaru (mother) in Neganurpatti inscription is a colloquial form of Tamil speaking people. This is not a loan word from Kannada. It is to be remembered here that many Hero stone inscriptions of Chengam and Dharmapuri regions contain Tamil words very often ending with 'u '; such as ariasaru, pattaru, Sevagaru, etc.'
Above all, if the Jaina ascetics had migrated from Sravanabelagola in Karnataka, the earliest Brahmi inscriptions of Jainism should have been engraved in Sravanabelagola itself or in the vicinity of it in Karnataka. In order to propagate their religion, the Jaina adherents should have engraved their writings as we find in Tamilnadu. But no single Brahmi inscription of Jaina influence sofar has been discovered in this region and the earliest inscription at Sravanabelagola starts only from sixth century A.D.
The paleographic and orthographic features of early Tamil-Brahmi script do not suit the well-developed Asokan Brahmi of 3rd century B.C. The varga system, conjunct consonants and the well-developed form of letters are the main feature of Asokan Brahmi. But these are absent in Tamil Brahmi and one can see the primitive form of Tamil words in most of the early Tamil Brahmi inscriptions; for example the famous Mangulam inscriptions. Thus these inscriptions can be dated to pre Asokan period, i.e., 5th or 4th century B.C.
The famous Jambai inscription is well akin to Asokan Brahmi both in paleography as well as the standardization of letters: Thus, it could be assigned to
3rd century B.C. i.e. contemporary to Asoka. The Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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