Studies in South Indian Jainism

Author(s): M S Ramaswami Ayyangar, B Seshagiri Rao
Publisher: M S Ramaswami Ayyangar

Page 49

MAHAVAMSA.
has often been doubted. Nevertheless, for our purposes, it may be pointed out that during the reign of King Pandugāþhaya, the fifth in Vijaya's line, the capital was transferred to Anurādhapura (about 437 B.C.). The Mahāvamsa gives us a detailed description of the various buildings in the new city. Among these was à residence allotted to: a Nigantha devotee named “Giri.' In the same quarters, many Pāsandaka devotees dwelt. The king built also a temple ' for the Nigantha Kumbandha,' which was called after him. Provision was also made in the new capital for residence for 500 persons of various foreign religions and faiths.' If this information could be relied upon, it would mean that Jainism was introduced in the island of Ceylon, so early as the fifth century B.C. It is impossible to conceive that a purely North Indian religion could have gone to the island of Ceylon without leaving its mark in the extreme south of India, unless like Buddhism it went by sea from the north. Let us next see if epigraphy aids us in fixing Brāhmi
Inscriptions the date of the origin of Jainism in South India. the only one The earliest lithic records in the Tamil country code
epigraphical are the famous Brāhmi-inscriptions discovered in the districts of Madura and Ramnad, and published a few years ago by the Government Epigraphist. These inscriptions written in the alphabet of the Asoka Edicts are assigned
' P. Arunachalam, Sketches of Ceylon. History, pp. 14 & 16: noe also Mahavamsa, p. 49.