Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): D C Sirkar
Publisher: University of Calcutta

Page 68

SM. R. CHAMPAKALAKSHMI
the Jain inscriptions are any proof, the admitted success of the Saiva and Vaisnava saints (such as Appar and Sambandar and Tirumaliśai, Toņdaradippodi and Tirumangai) failed ---paradoxically- to root out the heresy against which they spearheaded their activities.
The course of events appear to be quite different and may be outlined briefly as follows. Jainism spread in Tondaimandalam from about the 4th century A. D. and acquired numerous votaries by the 7th century incurring the hostility of the adherents of the Saiva and Vaişņava faiths. A Jain monastery of cosiderable importance flourished in Pāțalikā from the 5th century A.D. and even attracted Appar who, as Dharmasena, became its Abbot in the 7th century. 12 Appar or Tirunāvukkaraśar, later turned to Saivism and lamented his past associations with the Jains whom he accuses in his hymns of having persecuted him.18 The Periya Purāņam, a later work and a well-known Saiva hagiological text, highlights these events in the Tirunāvukkarasar Purāņam and brings in a Kādava who, inspired by Appar, turned to the Saiva faith and destroyed the monastery at Pātalipura to erect a Siva temple at Tiruvadigai (South Arcot District) called Guņadaraviccuram.14 Gunadhara is equated with Gunabhara and hence identified with Pallava Mahendravarman I.
Mahendravarman's predilection to Jainism need not be disputed when one considers the Jain leanings of some of his predecessors, including the mother of Simhavişņu, i.e. the queen of Simhavarman.16 In his sixth regnal year (i.e. before 550 A.D.) Simhavarman issued the Pallankoil copper-plate grant, 16 donating lands to a Jain teacher Vajranandin for conducting worship in the Vardhamāna temple at Paruttikunru, the same as Tirupparuttikunru or Jina-Kāñci which contains
12 Periya Purāņam, Tirunavukkaraśar Purāṇam, vv. 37-40. 13 Appar, Tēvāram. 14 Tirunavukkarasar Purāņam. 15 See the Hosakote plates, Mys. Arch. Rep., 1938, pp. 22-23.
16 T. N. Subramanian, ‘Pallankovil Jaina Copper Plate Grant', Trans. Arch, Soc. S. Ind., 1958-59, pp. 42ff.