Jaina Archaeological Heritage of Tamilnadu

Author(s): A Ekambarnathan
Publisher: Bharat Varshiya Digambar Jain Mahasabha

Page 13

12
JAINA ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF TAMILNADU
the son of Cattan Antai of Nagaperur. Another epigraph mentions that the cavern was inhabited by Caiyalan of Vintaiyur. Muttupatti continued to be an important center of Jainism upto 9th century A.D. as can be seen from two Thirthankara images sculpted on a boulder nearby the caverns.
Kongarpuliyankulam
Near Kongarpuliyankulam which is about 15 kms. south-west of Madurai is a bald rock with a narrow cleft in which are found six caverns. On the rounded edge of the roof in one of these caverns are found three Brahmi inscriptions in bold characters of 2nd century B.C. The inscriptions mention that Uparuvan, a lay devotee, provided a canopy to the monastry, while Ceruatan plaited the fronds of the canopy. The same canopy was caused to be thatched by Peratan Pitan who was a native of Pakanur. Thus the natural caverns had been provided with structural additions by the laity even in the 2nd century B.C. The next three caverns below this have six sets of beds generally without pillow lofts, stretching north to south. However, only four are in good state of preservation. One of the caverns consist of ten beds, another of six, the third of eight, the fourth of four, the fifth of three and in the sixth the beds are badly damaged. The average size of the beds vary from 8 feet in the longest to 512 feet in the shortest.
A nearby rock has a bold relief sculpture of a Thirthankara which can be stylistically dated to 9th century A.D.
Varicciyur
About 23 kms. east of Madurai is Vilattur to whose east is Varicciyur. Near this village is a hill