Jaina Literature in Tamil

Author(s): A Chakravarti, K V Ramesh
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 13

In the post-Sangam period, particularly from the sixth century onwards, Jainism claimed, off and on and in varying degrees, the patronage of such powerful dynasties as the Pallava, Pāņdya and Cāļa. Pallava Simhavarman (550-60 A.D.) of Kāñci and his son Simhavişņu (560-80 A.D.) were great patrons of Jainism. The Palļankovil copper-plate grant records' that Simhavarman'gave away, in the sixth year of his reign, the village called Sramaņāśrama or Amaņģērkkai to the great ascetic Vajranandi of the Nandi-sangha at the holy place Vardhamānēsvarā-dharmatīrtha for the purpose of worshipping the groups of Jinēndra, Jainēndras and Munindras. The mother of Simhavişņu was an ardent Jaina devotee and, according to the Hosakõţe plates of Western Garga Avinīta, she got constructed a temple for the god Arhat for the glory of her husband's family. Pallava Mahēndravarman I (580-630 A.D.) and Pāņdya Arikesari Parāňkuša Nedumāran (670-710 A.D.) were both Jainas by persuasion. “Under royal support Kāñci with the surrounding villages and Madurai with the surrounding hills teemed with a considerable Jain population, and the present day site of Jinakāñci bears sufficient testimony to this”4.
Nevertheless, Jainism did meet with stout opposition in Tamilnādu even from early times. “This was during the period of the 7th and 8th centuries A.D.
1. TASSI., 1951-59, p. 43. See below, Appendix, Inscription No. 5
2. Mys. Arch. Rep., 1938, pp. 80-90. 4. TASSI., 1957-58, p. 25. 3. P.B. Deşai: Op. cit., p. 81,