________________
JAINISM IN TAMILNAD
The geographical situation of Tamilnad would indicate that Jainism was introduced here either through the Andhradesa or the Karnataka country. The latter view appears to have generally found favour with the scholars as it derives its support from the well-established tradition of Bhadrabahu's migration to Karnataka but the possibility of the former view is not without foundation. The tenth chapter of the Mahāvamsa, a Buddhist chronicle of the fifth century A.D., while describing the new constructions in the capital town of Anuradhapura mentions that the king Pandukabhay. built a house for the nigantha jotiya. Proceeding further the narrative informs us that the ruler also constructed a chapel for nigantha Kumbhanda. The reign of king Pandukabhaya has been placed in the 4th century B.C. (from B.C. 337-307) and so the above events concerning the construction of a dwelling and a temple for niganthas (or Jaina monks) in the capital should be referred to the early period of the Ceylonese history. This shows that Jainism had established itself in the northern part of Ceylon and claimed a respectable status in the kingdom. It also points to the possibility that the Tamil land might have come into contact with Jainism by the period of the 4th century B.C.
We may notice in this context an interesting tradition hailing from Karnataka which, though recorded in a late literary composition, seems to reflect the antiquity of Jainism in the Tamil country. Devacandra, a Jaina author of the last century, who was a native of Kankagiri or Maleyuru in the Mysore territory, has made a faithful collection of miscellaneous legends and traditional accounts of rulers and Jaina teachers in his compendium named Rajavalikathe. After furnishing the details regarding the migration of Bhadrabahu and Candragupta to the Mysore region, the work tells us that Bhadrabahu, at the time of his death, nominated his disciple Visakhacarya as the leader of the assemblage of monks and instructed him to proceed still further to the Cola and Pandya countries. Bhadrabahu is known to have deceased by the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. (297 B.C.). Ratnanandi, a writer of the 15th century A.D., in his Sanskrit work entitled Bhadrabahucarita states that Visakhacarya, the disciple of Bhadrabahu led the Jaina samgha at the instance his guru to the Cola country.
A large number of caverns containing beds carved out in the rock has been discovered in the hills and mountainous regions in the Pudukkottai area and Madura and Tinnevelly Districts of the Madras State.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
