South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

the consonant. The language is Tamil, though a few expressions like Kalyabdaḥ and Śakābdaḥ are used with Sanskrit case endings. Occurrence of familiar abbreviations for varusham,mādam, etc., may be noted in more than one place. The date is cited thus : Kali year 4834, Śālivāhana Śaka 1655, year 46 starting with Prabhava, namely Pramādicha, Vaigāśi 17. Though agreement prevails among these details, the date is not capable of verification, as the week-day, the tithi and the nakshatra are not mentioned. The said day corresponded with Tuesday, May 15, 1733 A. C. While engraving the above date the symbol for ten is consistently omitted.

The inscription purports to lay down a rule for the guidance of the Jaina community residing in the village of Svarṇapura. It is thus specified. The Jainas this locality should take in procession the images of Pārśvanātha and Jvālāmālinī from the temple of Ādīśvara (i.e., Ādinātha), every Sunday, for being worshiped on the occasion of service to Hēlāchārya on the Nīlagiri hill in the north-western quarter. Svarṇapura is evidently identical with modern Ponnūr. The Nīlagiri hill which also figures in the legend of Hēlāchārya, has still retained the name, being three miles away from Ponnūr. The icons of Pārśvanātha and Jvālāmālinī mentioned in the epigraph are probably the metallic images preserved in the temple of Ādinātha to the present day^[1] or their earlier substitutes. These are evidently intended for being displayed on ceremonial occasions. The specific mention of Jvālāmālinī alongside of Pārśvanātha in the inscription is noteworthy ; for the former was originally the Yakshī or the attendant deity of Chandraprabha Tīrthaṅkara^[2] and attained unusual importance in later times. Judging from the earlier Jaina inscriptions found here and the tradition connecting it with Hēlāchārya,^[3] Ponnūr appears to have been a renowned stronghold of Jainism from earlier times.

TEXT^[4]

1 Svasti śrī [|*] Śālivāhana-Śak-ābdaḥ 1655 Kaly-abdaḥ 4834 kku mēl chellā ninra Prabavādi ga(Śa)k-ābdaḥ varusham^[5] 46 [k] ku Pramādicha varusham^[6] Vaigāśi mādam^[5] 17 [U]^[4] eludiya śāsanaṁ =āvadu [|*] Svasti [|*] śrī-Sva[rṇa]pu[ra]-Kanakagiri Ādiśvara-svāmi-chaityālaya śaṁbandamāna Vāyu^[7]-mūlaiyil=i-
2 rukkum Nīlagiri Hēḷāchārya-pāda-pūjai^[8] Ādivārat(n)-tōrum mērpaḍi^[9] ālayattin śrī-Pārśva- nātha-svāmi[yai*]yum Jvālāmā[ḷi]^[9]ni-ammanaiyum mērpaḍi^[5] Svarṇapura-Jainargaḷ ēḍuttu[k*]koṇḍu pōy p[ū]jippadu [|*] Inda sā(śā)śa(sa)nam Anantasēnadēva[nāl=e]- ludapaṭṭadu [||*]

We might in this context take note of one more epigraph, as it is helpful in our study. This is an archaic inscription from Pañchapāṇḍavamalai, dated in the 50th year of the Pallava king Nandipōttarasar, which speaks of the creation of an image of a Golden Yakshī on the hill. It is significant to observe that neither the epigraph nor the sculptures that illustrate its contents have any place for the Jina.^[10]

_________________________________________________

^[1] An. Rep. on. S. I. Epigraphy for 1928-29, p. 88.
^[2] Jaina Iconography (op. cit)., p. 62.
^[3] An. Rep. on S. I. Epigraphy for 1928-29 ; Nos. 415 and 417 of Appendix B. The legend of Hēlāchārya is related on p. 88 of the same Report.
^[4] From an impression.
^[5] Familiar abbreviation is used here for this expression
^[6] This sign is the symbol U denoting abbreviation for the expression tēdi.
^[7] Vāyu here stands for the Sanskrit Vāyanya.
^[8] There is a syntactical flaw here. An expression like samayattil is necessary to connect this word with the following.
^[9] This letter looks more like ne.
^[10] Above, Vol. IV. pp. 136-37 and the plate.