Jaina Monuments and Places First Class Importance

Author(s): T N Ramchandran
Publisher: Veer Shasan Sangh Calcutta

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JAINA MONUMENTS
covered with pamtings, for traces of paint are seen everywhere inside the dark cave "as you become more and more familiar with the contents of the cave". Even as in Mámandūr and at Mahabalipuram the sculptures in the cave reveal traces of plaster and coloui. "The cedit of discovering these paintings ought strictly 10 go to the late lamented Gopinatha Rao, who communicated his discovery lo his scholar friend, Dr. Jouveau Dubreuil who foithwith drew the attention of the world by means of a leaflet and an article in the Indian Antiquary (Vol. LII, pp. 45-47) with a tracing of the outline of a well--preserved dancing figure. With his remarkable precision in judgment and the instinct of a born archæologist he was able to determine that "..... The process of Pallava painting is similar to that of the Ajanta paintings.
2. The painting of the Pallavas was, perhaps, even more beautiful than their sculpture.
3. The Sittannavāśal cave is a Jain temple". After closely examining the Sittannavāsal paintings and sculptures we have only to conclude that the Professor is remarkably correct in his estination. The sculptures which represent Tirthařkaras have been already examined. The paintings alone remain.
Before taking to a study of these it is interesting to note that the name of the place, Sittannavăsal is so un-Tamilian that to explain its derivation we have to look to its Sanskrit or Prākrit form. In Sanskrit it will be "Siddhānam väsan" i.e., the abode of the Siddhas or ascetics and in Prākṣit "Siddhanna-vāsa". As we know that the Jainas and the Buddhists had a special leaning towards Prakrit culturally we shall take the Prākṣit form as the nucleus of the modern Tamil name of the place, Sittannavāsal. The term "siddha" is of special value to us for our study for we know that the "siddhas" occupy a pre-eminent place in Jaina iconography and worship. Among the pañcha-namaskāras that every follower of the Taina faith should make the second namaskār is reserved for the "Siddhas". And in Jaina cosmology the