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JAINA BIBLIOGRAPHY
cave as tali excavated in a hill, an excavated temple (Kudaivitta Srikoyil), or, merely, stone temple (Karrali).
P. 114. Three classes of caves according to the sects-Buddhists, Brahmanical and Jaina; earliest known examples dating from about the 3rd century B.c. are Buddhist ; next come Brahmanic caves ranging from about the 4th century to about the 8th century A.D. and the Jaina caves which are later extending to about the middle of the 15th century A. D. (Buddhist cave temples )-BURGESS: Vol. VI, P. 2).
In India caves were used as residence for monks and as places of worship in which latter category they also sometimes served as art galleries; the so called Queen's cave and that of Gaṇeśa at Udayagiri were used as dramatic halls (Ind. Ant. Vol. 34, P. 199).
P. 115.
Excavation of rock-cut caves first introduced into South India about the first quarter of the 7th century A.D. by Pallava king Mahendravarman I. caves in South India before the 7th century A.D.*
Pp. 115-16.
Rock-cut caves are sometimes found side by side with caverns known as Amanpali (i.e., Jaina caves resort, as at Tirupparankunṛam, Virasikhämaņi, Kunnakudi, Trichinopoly, Sittannaväsai etc. Besides beds and inscriptions, these caverns have drip-lines, on their brows to prevent rain water from getting inside, thus indicating their occupation by recluses, evidently of the Jaina sect. The Pallava king Mahendravarman I, was first a Jaina and was converted to the cult of the Linga by the Saiva teacher Tirunavukkarasar.
P. 116. The rise of Saivism found an echo in the Pandya country which was the nucleus of Jainism prior to 7th century A. D. just like the Pallava monarch [ (Mahendravarman I), the Pandya king Ninrasir Nedumaran (8th century A. D.) aposstized to Śaivism from Jainism at the instance of the saint Tirunanasabandar.** Caverns in South India may be associated with Jainism and rock-cut caves with Hinduism.
*P. 115. n. 2. The rock-cut caves of Malabar are dated much earlier and supposed to represent the Vedic age.
** This saint is best known as the opponent of Jainism-In the court of the Pandyan ruler of Madura; he is given the title Paramanda Kolari i. e. lion to the enemy faiths and Aruhasani i. e., Thunder-bolt to the arhats).
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