Jainism in South India and Some Jaina Epigraphs

Author(s): P B Desai
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur

Page 54

JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA
monuments with some preoision. These epigraphs are sometimes engraved quite close to and on the pillow sides of the beds, thus furnishing unerring proof of their synchronism. The characters of the records present arcbajo apocimens of the Brāhmi script and may be referred to the period of the 3rd century B. 0. In order to present a clear picture of the theme I may illustrate these remarks with a brief description of some of the individual monuments.
MADURA Distriot: 1) A cavern with more than dozen beds and Brāhmi inscriptions was found in the Anaimalai Hill. Three of these are double beds. 2) A huge cavern, the biggest so far known, containing namerous beds and Brāhmi inscriptions, was noticed at Varichchiyūr. 9) The Tirapparankunram hill revealed the existence of two caverns. One of them possesses six beds with writing in Brāhmi script on their pillow side. The other cavern has two beds and no inscriptions. 4) A big cavern possessing. many beds was gpotted out at Alagarmalai. It has two Brāhmi inscriptions, one on the floor of the cave and another on the brow of the hill. 5) Kongarpaliyanguļam has presented at least four caverns possessing more than thirty beds in all. Writing in Brāhmi characters was detected in one of these oaves. 6) As a result of careful examination the hill called Siddharmalai or 'the hill of the sages' near Mettupatti or Muttupatti has yielded one cavern with thirty beds. Three epigraphs in Brāhmi, one on a bed and two on the sheltering rock, have been discovered here. A detached boulder was also found to possess a single bed and a Brāhmi inscription. 7) Three caverns have been ransacked at Kilalavu. One of these possesses beds and inscriptions in Brāhmi alphabet. The other two caverns contain beds, but no inscriptions.
TINNEVELLY DISTRICT: One cavern possessing writing in Brāhmi soript and several beds has been explored at Marugāltalai. Four caverns containing Brāhmi inscriptions and a large number of beds have been discovered at Kalugumalai which is rich in rock-cut architecture and sculptures, Ten beds have been traced out in a cavern at Viraśikhāmaņi. It is interesting to note that on one of these beds was found engraved a figure made up of 64 small squares. A game known as Ceylon Arasadi Keliya is associated with an identical diagram. This figure therefore appears to have been intended for the playing purpose. This cavern is devoid of any. insoriptions in Brāhmi alphabet.
1 Compare, An. Rep. on 8. I. Ep., 1908, p. 47. 3 Proceedings and Transactions of Third Oriental Conference, p. 282. 3 Ibid., pp. 278-78; An. Rep. on &. I. Epigraphy, 1907, pp. 46-47; eto. 4. Proceedings eto., p. 276,