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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA
FEMALE MONASTIC ORDERS: Another noteworthy factor in regard to the Jaina church in the Tamil country is the prosperous institution of lady teachers and their wide circle of female disciples. The lady teachers are generally referred to as Kurattiyar or Kuratti Adigal, both of which are honorific forms derived from Sanskrit guru. They are found to take leading part in the social and religious activities along with the brother teachers of the monastic order. They commanded a large following of the lay disciples of their class and held high positions as the heads of hermitages and monasteries. The well-known instance to the point is that of Kanakavira Kurattiyar of Veḍal, with whom we are already acquainted. Some of the interesting points regarding these lady teachers who, in some cases, were initiated by the male preceptors and also sometimes entertained men as their pupils have already been dealt with.
If we go to the origin of the Jaina ascetic order we find that Mahavira made no distinction between men and women. He was in his own life time followed and accompanied by male as well as female recluses. It is recorded that his following included 14000 monks and 36000 nuns'. But notwithstanding the absence of a technical bar or conventional stigma, the annals of the Jaina church have preserved few examples of ladies having been in the forefront of religious leadership and played the rôle of teachers and preceptors. We may, here and there, meet with stray instances of nuns like Yakini who is said to have converted the famous author Haribhadra to Jainism and made him her pupil. But an exclusive organisation of nuns alone does not appear to be quite popular in the history of the Jaina church. However the practice of renouncing the world and taking to the life of a nun has no doubt survived to this day among the followers of Jainism.*
Turning to South India many ladies who were lay followers of the faith and some who had renounced the world figure in the inscriptions of
the term Dravida in the following monastic orders: 1) Dravidar Samgha, Pustaka gachchha and Kondakunda anvaya; Ep. Carn., Vol. VI, Madgere 11. 2) Dravida Samgha, Nandi gana and Arangalanvaya; Ep. Carn. Vol. VIII, Nagar 36. 3) Dravida gana, Nandi Samgha and Arungalanvaya; Ep. Carn., Vol. V, Arkalgud 98; Coorg Inscriptions (revised edition), Nos. 34-35, 37, etc. 4) Mala Samgha, Dravida anvaya; Ep. Carn., Vol. VI, Mudgere 18.
1 B. C Law: Mahavira, His Life and Teachings, p. 66.
2 Sinclair Stevenson: Heart of Jainism, p. 66.
3 Ibid., p. 80.
4 Ibid., pp. 232-33 and 169. We are informed that there exist two monasteries attached to the Parivanatha temple of the Svetambaras at Nausari, one for the male and the other for the female ascetics see; Ep. Ind, Vol. XXI. p. 136.
