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The earliest existing religious vestiges in Tamil Nadu are
the natural caverns, which once served as the abodes of Jaina monks, found
in some of the hills in Tirunelveli,
Madurai, Pudukkottai,
Periyar, Trichy, South Arcot and North Arcot districts.
Such abodes numbering to more than one hundred have been brought to light
so far, by the assiduous efforts of the archaeologists over the last five
decades. These caves, which are found amidst picturesque surroundings, had
been resorted by mendicants who resolved to spend their lives in splendid
isolation, engaging themselves in contemplation and religious pursuits.
The early Jain caves in Tamil Nadu are important for
several reasons. They represent the earliest lithic monuments in this
region; the caves generally contain the earliest epigraphic records in
Brahmi characters paleographically assigned to a period from 2nd century
BC to 3rd or 4th century AD and above all, they provide authentic evidence
of the early spread of Jainism in Tamil Nadu.
Salient Features Of The Caves
The salient features of the early resorts of the wind-clad recluses may
be summarized as follows:
The natural caverns were made suitable for habitation by cutting stone
beds in them. The beds were chiseled smooth with one side raised a little
to serve as pillows. The over hanging rock was cut in the form of
drip-ledge so as to prevent rainwater flowing into the cave shelters.
Sometimes, the caverns were provided with structural additions in front
in the form of thatched roofs supported by wooden poles. This is evident
from a number of holes cut into the open rock surfaces in front of the
caves. It deserves special mention that these "holy residences"
were mostly located near springs of water, which catered to the basic
needs of the ascetics.
Distribution Of Jain Caves
The early Jain caves are found in almost all the districts, but the
majority is reported from Madurai. There are
about twenty six caves with not less than one hundred and forty stone beds
in places like Anaimalai, Alagarmalai, Arittapatti, Tiruparankundram,
Muttupatti, Vikramangalam, Karungalakkudi, Kilavalau, Kongarpuliyankulam,
Mankulam, Tiruvatavur and Varichiyur - all situated within a radius of 20
miles from Madurai town. The Brahmi records inscribed on these early
monuments, generally, assigned to the 2nd - 1st centuries BC, refer to the
names of the resident monks as well as the laity who caused stone beds to
be cut.
Trichy district comes next in the order and is represented by three
pallis (Jain temples) at Pugalur, Sivayam and
Trichy rock fort. Similarly,
South Arcot also has three caves at Jambai, Paraiyanpattu and
Tirunatharkunru, but they are slightly later in date. Kurralam and
Marukaltalai are the two early Jain centres with cave beds and Brahmi
records in the Tirunelveli district.
Pudukottai, Pasumpon, Periyar and North
Arcot districts are represented by one each containing interesting lithic
records.
Apart from these, there are about 30 more natural caverns with a series
of stone beds in Pudukottai, Sittannavasal,
South Arcot and North Arcot districts. But they do not posses early Brahmi
inscriptions. Their conspicuous absence renders the difficulty of
assigning these caves to an early period.
Thus, the period of the foundation remains a mystery unsolved. The
available sculptural and epigraphic evidence from the aforesaid centers
belong to the 8th and 9th centuries AD. Perhaps, the sculptures
representing Tirthankaras, Yakshas and Yakshis were added in the already
existing Jain foundation.