Jaina Archaeological Heritage of Tamilnadu

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

Page 71

70 JAINA ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF TAMILNADU
Armamalai
Armamalai is located four kilometres north of Malayambattu village in the Gudiyattam taluk of Vellore district. Paintings from here were first reported by Robert Sewell in 1882, but, they were first studied by Joveau Dubreuil only in 1916. Though later C.Minakshi reported these paintings in 1939, she also did not study them in detail.
It was studied in detail only by Edward Montgomery and S.T.Bhaskaran who published an article describing these paintings in Lalit Kala in 1974 Accordingly, the paintings in this site are found on a hill within a natural cavern, which houses a mud brick built temple also. In the cavern, towards the east, the roof is fully covered with paintings obscured by soot. Here, the colours used include ochre for the lotus buds and flowers, on an ochre background, all executed on a white plaster base. There are also designs of small green circles painted on the same area around the flowers.
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Towards the western side of the roof, there are six patches of paintings more clearly visible. Once the entire western side must have been painted of which, only patches remain now.
The largest of these patches has circular floral designs with a similar colour scheme as above. The patch of painting adjacent to it has depictions of a lotus pond with large green coloured leaves and lotus flowers in ochre. There are also remains of an arc like object which might have been the trunk of an elephant.
Of the remaining four patches, two show human figures. Of these, the first patch has human figures, a couple are shown riding an animal which can be identified as a bull. The lady has a lithe and delicate