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JAINA ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE OF TAMILNADU
4 kms to the north west of this village is a hillock called Kalinjamalai. On the eastern face of the hill is a cavern with a drip ledge cut into the outer face of the rock. On the brow of the cave is found a Brahmi inscription dated to 2nd - 1st. centuries B.C. It records that the cave was caused to be given by Cheliyan Attananvoliyan of Nelveli.' The place Nelveli may be identified with the modern Tirunelveli.
Arittapatti continued to be a flourishing Jaina center even in the 9th century A.D. as is attested to, by an image of a seated Tirthankara, canopied by a triple umbrella.
Mangulam
A village near Arittapatti, Mangulam is adjacent to a range of hills locally known as Kalugumalai. Atop the steep ascent of rocky slopes are five caverns with rock cut beds and Brahmi inscriptions. Four of these caverns are inscribed upon while three of them have smoothly chiseled beds cut on the bottom rock. The beds are generally found to run in different directions. The overhanging boulder, inaccessible due to its height, bears the inscriptions in bold characters. In the lowermost cavern the inscription is on another boulder, which incidentally forms the backwall of the northern portion. Unlike other caverns, this possesses an unsheltered sandy courtyard, hence no beds are found here. The southern part of the cavern extends to a depth of 49' 5" between two boulders serving as walls. The curvaceous cavern is 58' in length and its height is approximately. 11' at the opening. On the platform are nearly thirty one beds situated both inside and outside. In the last cavern is a centrally cut out bed on a higher level measuring 7'8" by 5', which was probably meant for the chief among the Sramanas.
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