Book Title: Jaina Art and Architecture Vol 01
Author(s): A Ghosh
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Previous | Next

Page 157
________________ SOUTH INDIA 8. Karungalakkudi (second-first centuries B.C.). On a hill called Paficapandavarkuffa'in this village are found caverns with beds. The cavern is called pult in a Brahmi record of the place. 9. Kilavalavu (socond-first centuries B.C.). The Pafcapándavamalai in Kilavalavu consists of huge boulders and caverns. The Brāhmi inscription here records the foundation of the monastery by a lay-devotee from Tonti. Later sculptures of Päráva and other Tirtharkaras are found on the boulders. 10. Tiruvatavur (second-first centuries B.C.). This village also contains caverns with Brāhmi inscriptions. Trinmangalam Taluk 11. Vikk iramangalam (second-first centuries B.C.). In the local hill called Nagamalai is a huge boulder known as Undan-kallu with caverns, beds and Brahmt inscriptions recording the names of people who occupied them or gifted them. Nilakkottai Taluk 12. Mettuppatti (second-first centuries B.C.). A hill called Siddharmalai (the hill of the Siddhas) in this village contains caverns with beds. The lower portion of the rock containing the beds is fashioned like the petals of a lotus. On the same platform is found a pair of foot-prints in relief with a lotus between the two, inside a circle. The foot-prints are said to be those of Sahajanandanátha, an exponent of the Tantric creed (?). There are nine Brahmi inscriptions giving the names of the donors, assignable to the second-first centuries B.C. Caverns with or without beds are also found in the hills at Uttamapalaiyam, Aivarmalai (Aiyampalaiyam), Kuppalnattam (Poygaimalai), and Palani (Panchavarnappadukkai), all in Madurai District. No Brāhmi inscriptions have been reported from these sites, although their Jaina associations are clearly indicated by their sculptures datable in eighth-ninth centuries. RAMANATHAPURAM DISTRICT 13 & 14. Pulaiyarpatti (fifth century A.D.) and Kunnakkudi (third-fourth centuries A.D.) in Tiruppattur Taluk of the above District contain Brāhmi ins. criptions, but in both the cases the cave-temples which were excavated belong Amanical Report on Sorah beplan Ipteraphy (M.E.R. to the following pages), 1907-08, part IL para 99, fascription 47 of 1908

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345