Mahavira and his Teaching

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

Page 368

ANTIQUITY OF JAINISM IN TAMILNĀD
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Among them were also women poets and scholars. Aouvvai, the women scholar and bard of the 1st century A.D. is held as the most distinguished savant of her time. Scholars have stated that she was the sister of Tiruvalluvar, author of Tirukural. We find the names of all these poets and scholars in the Samgham literature. Many of them must have been Jainas. Agasthya made a new Tamil script. His grammar, the Agathyam might have been the guide book for the study of Kadum Tamil in his time. The new script made by Agasthya was in round and long letters called Vattelethu and Koleluthu. This script had been the medium of writing for many centuries in Tamilnad, Karnātaka and Keraļa. A number of ancient inscriptions in this script have been discovered in Karnātaka, Tamilnād and Keraļa. It is no more extant today.
A number of inscriptions in Brāhmi have been found in different parts of Tamilnād. Some of them were discovered in the Jaina hills near Madurai city, the Sithanavāsal cave temple in Purukoțțai, the Vijayamangalam Jaina hill near krode and also in Wynad from where some ancient inscriptions were unearthed from a jungle site. All these inscriptions belonged to the 3rd and 4th centuries before the birth of Christ.
Tolakapyam is the premier grammatical work extant today in Tamil. Tolakapya Muni studied the Prakrit grammar called Aiyandram under his Guru Muni Agasthya. Adiyarkunallar, the commentator of Silappadhikaram has stated that Aiyandram was composed by Rşabha and it formed a part of the Parama Āgamas, the Adi Vedas, the original Nanmarai of the Tamil people. Rşabha taught Aiyandram to Indra and to the Gañadharas. By Guruparamparamparayā, it was handed down to the Tīrthankaras. Neminātha must have been well versed in Aiyandram. Muni Agasthya must have studied Aiyandram from Neminātha. This pre-historic grammatical work is no more extant today.
Muni Agasthya was the pioneer humanitarian in the time of Neminātha. It is recorded that once Agasthya proceeded to Naimiņāraṇyam from Ayodhyā, the sacred birthplace of Rşabha