Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s8.t1: 1.8.1 Cave shelters

Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c20.s8.t1

Language: English

1.8.1 Cave shelters

The lower cave at Sittannavasal where these inscriptions¹ occur, is situated at the deeper end of a narrow waterworn ravine and is rather inaccessible. The floor of the cave has been completely eroded, leaving only jagged, sharp-edged boulders with hardly any place even to stand. No stone beds are seen. On the rock wall inside the cave, seven Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions are deeply engraved in bold characters. However, the rock is soft, permanently damp and covered with thick moss, making it very difficult to copy the inscriptions.² They appear to record the names of the donors; the longest inscription refers to the collective gift of the cave shelter by a village. The inscriptions which may be assigned to ca. 5th century A.D. on palaeographic grounds mark the end of the era of Jaina cave shelters in the Tamil country, which commenced in ca. 2nd century B.C.

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¹ ARE B. 338 / 1992-93 = Nos. *101-107*. See also Figs. 8.44-8.46 (tracings) and Pls. 43-45A (estampages). The inscriptions were discovered by the ASI.

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² There are faint traces of more inscriptions on the rock wall, which could not be traced or copied by our team due to practical difficulties. Some of these are recorded in the eye copies in S. Rajavelu 1995b: pp. 9-12.

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(ii) *Tiruchirapalli-B

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During the unsuccessful search for the lost Tamil-Brāhmī inscription³ on the Rockfort hill at Tiruchirapalli, our team discovered a new Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscription⁴ on the rock wall abutting the narrow passage along the northern face of the hill (Fig. 1.15). We could also secure better copies and suggest improved readings of two other published Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions⁵ engraved on the rocky floor of the passage.

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³ *ARE* 139 / 1937-38 = No. *78*. See also Pl. 35B (estampage).

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⁴ No. *108*. The inscription was located by M. Nalini (Rajamanikkanar Centre for Historical Research, Tiruchirapalli) who was a member of our team. M. Nalini 1993: p. 50.

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⁵ *ARE* 136 [A & B] / 1937-38 = Nos. *109 & 110*. These inscriptions were earlier discovered by the ASI.

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(iii) *Perumukkal

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The cave situated on the hill at Perumukkal (near Tindivanam in Viluppuram District) is notable for the rock carvings⁶ which cover the inside walls. The carvings resemble those at Edakal, Kerala.⁷ The Perumukkal cave, also like the one at Edakal, is not a Jaina establishment and there are no stone beds in it. A short label inscription is incised on a rock wall near the anthropomorphic carvings.

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⁶ A. Thasarathan and B. Kannaiyan (1993: pp. 121-128) who discovered the rock carvings in the cave attribute them to the 'prehistoric period' and describe the figures as the "hieroglyphs of the Tamils which might have been a source for the development of such writings in the Egyptian Pyramids". In a critical review, R. Vasanthakalyani (1994: pp. 23-30) debunks the wildly exaggerated claims of the discoverers; but her dating of the rock carvings in ca. 6th or 7th century A.D. is too late and is perhaps influenced by the presence of the Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscription which is, however, much later than the rock carvings in the cave. See the following note.

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⁷ According to Rajan Gurukkal who has made a comparative study *in situ* of the Edakal and Perumukkal rock carvings, the latter are of more recent origin as they appear to have been made with iron implements, most probably in the Megalithic Period / Iron Age (personal discussion).

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Figure 1.15. Tiruchirapalli Rockfort: Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions. Note the hazardous passage (long, narrow cleft halfway up the hill).

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Figure 1.16. Tirunatharkunru: the *nicītikai* is seen inside the fencing.

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The inscription in Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu characters of ca. 5th century A.D. is much later than the rock carvings in the cave. The label which reads *irācar* 'kings'¹ has apparently been incised by a casual visitor to the cave who regarded the anthropomorphic figures as depicting royal personages.

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¹ No. *111*. See also Fig. 8.48B (tracing) and Pl. 46B (estampage).