________________
xiv
scholars enriched the Tamil language, they composed elegant poems, wrote books on grammar and prosody, compiled lexicons, and presented lofty ideals of ethics in pithy verses. This gave them quite a strong hold on the minds of the people until after the ninth century, by which time had grown up a vast literature of Saivism and Vaişņavism. Both by example and precept monks and nuns in their monastic retreats influenced the lives of the people. Among such monastic centres were Chitral or Tiruccāņārrumalai (South Travancore) and Tirukkāttāmballi in KurandiVeņbunādu (Madurai-Ramnad). Ajjanandi Astöpavāsi, Guņasēna, Nāganandi, Guņavīra and others of these establishments were teachers of eminence. An inscription in the Aiññūrruva-peurmbaļļi (called after the merchant corporation, the 'Five Hundred') now in ruins at Tiruveņņāyil (now called Chettipaţti in Pudukottai), built during the reign of Rājarāja I (985-1016), mentions Matisāgara, the guru of Dayāpāla and Vādirāja. Ammāchatram (Pudukottai) had more than one palli, and inscriptions mention two ācāryas of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Choļavandipurm (South Arcot) and Tirumalai and Tirakköl (North Arcot) were other large centres mentioned in the inscriptions. At Tiruppānmalai (North Arcot) is an image of Nāganandi. Ariştanēmi, a pupil of Paravādimalla, lived in Tiruppāņmalai, where one of his pupils, the nun Pattținattuk-kuratti opened a celebrated nunnery. In the large monastery at Veļāl (North Arcot) misunderstanding arose among the monks on the one hand and the chief nun and her disciples on the other, and the intrepid nun took upon
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
