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northern side of the hill is a smaller cave with two beds, but without inscriptions.
There are four Brahmi inscriptions engraved on the pillow side of the stone beds. The first three records are much obliterated, however, in one of them the name of a person, Antuvan, finds place. Obviously, he could have been responsible for the cutting of the stone beds.13
The fourth inscription which is better preserved and ascribed to the 1st or 2nd century A.D. is important as it reveals the contact between Tamilnadu and the island of Lanka. It is stated that Polalaiyan of Erukkattur, a house holder from Ceylon (Ilakkudumbikan), was instrumental in creating rock cut beds in the cavern. The beds were caused to be cut at his instigation by Ay, Cayan and Naducatan who were probably stone masons. 14 The cordial relations between the Jaina adherents of Ilam and Tamilnadu in the early centuries of the Christian era is thus apparent.
7. Varicciyur : Eight miles east of Madurai, is Vilattur to whose east is Varicciyur. Near this village is a hill consisting of three big rocks, which is said to belong to the village Kunnattur. The easternmost rock is Udayagiri and it contains a huge spacious cavern formed by the projection of the two sides of the rock. A number of beds have been cut into it, but are highly mutilated. An overhanging boulder at a height of 30' from the cavern is engraved with two Brahmi inscriptions. The inscriptions are very much obliterated, however, they appear to mention the cutting of stone beds in the cavern.15
8. Alagarmalai : Situated about twelve miles north-west of Madurai, it is adjacent to a range of hills of the same name. On this range between Alagarmalai and Kidaripatti is a huge cavern with beds. The way to the cavern appears to have been up a precipitous rock with narrow steps cut into at distances longer than in the case of the Tirupparankunram cavern. The cavern is a spacious hall fifty yards broad (thrice as big as Tirupparankunram) with an excellent spring in its right corner. Facing the south, it spreads east to west. The stone beds are many and of varying sizes scattered single and in groups over
13 Ibid., 140-142/1951-52. 14 T. V. Mahalingam, Early South Indian Palaeography, pp. 251-255. 15 ARE, 38-A, B, C/1908.
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