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JAINA LITERATURE IN TAMIL
lectures, which permission was readily granted. Finally he became a convert to the faith and in recognition of this change in his life, he composed this Tirunūṛṛantādi dedicated to the god Neminatha of Mylapore. It is a very beautiful devotional work containing a few facts relating to the author himself. It is published with notes in the Sentami! Journal conducted by the Tamil Sangam, Madurai.1
Tirukkalambagam is another devotional work by a Jaina author by name Udīcidēva. He belonged to the country of Tonda-mandalam. He was a native of Arpagai, a place near Arani in Vellore Taluk. The term kalambagam implies a sort of poetic mixture where the verses are composed in diverse metres. This Tirukkalambagam by Udici, besides being devotional, is also philosophical in which the author tries to discuss the doctrines of the rival faiths such as Buddhism. It probably belongs to a period later than that of Akalanka, the great Jaina philosopher, who was responsible for undermining the supremacy of Buddhism in the south, and who was probably a contemporary of Kumārila-bhaṭṭa, the Hindu reformer.
Jainas were also responsible for contribution to Mathematics, Astronomy and Astrology. Probably several works relating to these topics have been lost. We have at present one representative in each. Encuvaḍi, a popular work on Arithmetic, and Jinendramalai, an equally popular work on Astrology. Traders
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1. Tirunūpantādi, Text, Kanchipuram, 1883. 2. Tirukkalambagam (Arungalacceppu), Kanchipuram,
1883.
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