Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 349

342 K. A. NILAKANȚA SASTRI & V. RĀMASUBRAMANIAM, 'AUNDY
The forty-foot high three-storied gateway at the southern entrance to the premises has one more tier, beautifully carved in wood, above the third storey. It was roofed over with the older type of small flat tiles, having about a dozen terracotta pinnacles over its top. The whole edifice must have been over 75 feet in height. I had the privilege of climbing up its shaky, and creaking stair-cases, constructed on either side of the fifteen-foot wide gateway. The Travancore durbar demolished its topmost floor and erected four brick-and-mortar walls around the two stairways on either side during the last reconstruction. The dilapidated wooden cottage of the Jaina priests were also pulled down, because there was no one to occupy it after about A.D. 1910.
Dr. Fergusson refers to a Jaina pavilion at Guruvāyankeri (South Canara) standing in front of a Jaina temple, having similar, but less ornate architectural features ['History of Indian and Eastern Architecture", Book V, Chapter 5, Page 79). The Nagercoil structure is a double pavilion, connected with each other over the second tier, so as to form a gateway (gopuram).–V. Ramasubramaņiam.]
D
Extracts from the translation of Kínalūr Vatteļuttu inscription, 18 miles from Calicut:
“Hail! prosperity in the one-hundred and eighty-ninth year after the sacred bath (tiru-abhisekam) of Tirukkāliyappațārar, when jupiter stood in Makara, on Wednesday, Avittam Nakşatra (sravista) in the month of Meşa (Caitra). For the paļļi of Vijayarāgesvaram at Kuņavāy-Nallūr. Forty poti of rice (are) required. . . . for daily offering of two nāli of rice, two nandāvilakku (perpetual lamps), and other items like sribali, śāntı, kuța, candanam ... chättanarukkați of Tiruvanchikkulam .... is to pay for the above expenses ... chattānārukkati shall not fail the tevar ... cháttan firikaştan shall take up the karāņmai of arappan kunchi and institute the daily feeding of one Brāhmin, two ordinary feedings,