Jaina Monuments of Andhra

Author(s): G Jawaharlal
Publisher: Sharada Publishing House Delhi

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Introduction
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this surmise were to be correct the viharas here were originally Jain, later on appropriated by Buddhists.
Another early Jain site we encounter is Malkonda hill, near Kandukuru in Prakasam district which contains a cluster of caves. One of them bears an inscription engraved in Brahmi characters of 3rd century B.C., on the brow of a projecting boulder of the rock on the hill now called as Parvatiguha. It mentions a gift made by a certain SiriViri-Sethi, son of Nanda-Sethi of Aruvahila-kula, to the cavern. Perhaps the donor, Sethi made the cavern suitable for occupation by Jaina or Buddhist monks, by way of smoothening the rough surface and carving stone-beds hewn out of the rock. So far no scholar has identified the dwellers of the cavern. But I take it as a Jain cave, for, several such caverns belonging to the early period, have been found in the neighbouring Tamilnadu in Madurai, Ramnad and Tinnevally districts. Moreover, the donor here belonged to Aruvala-kula i.e. Aruva-caste. It is a common practice for the Telugu people to apply the term Aruva to the Tamils even now. If this surmise were to be correct, the record of Malkonda hill not only appears to the earliest record of the Jains found so far in Andhra, but also the cave itself is the earliest Jain establishment.
Thus the above study lends support to Prof. P.B.Desai's contention.18 that the beginnings of Jainism in Andhra may be ascribed to as early as 6th century B.C. i.e. during the life time of Lord Mahavira himself. Further the recent archaeological finds also support the evidence of Jaina literature which take back the advent of Jainism into Andhra to the post-Mauryan period. Further, it is not unlikely that the main tenet of Jainism, i.e. Ahimsa or non-violence was familiar to the people of Andhra and its influence was working in this area even before the gospel of Buddha reached them. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the early prevalence of Jainism in Andhra must have paved way for the propagation of Buddhism in this land soon after. 19
Though the advent of Jainism in Andhra is ascribable to the centuries before Christ, it seems to have passed through several vicissitudes. Literary sources (viz.) Dharmamrta of Nayasena20 and the Brihatkathakosa of Harisena21 lead us to believe that there was at first a