Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c22.s3.t5.13

c22.s3.t5.13

Considering the exclusive association of Jaina monks with the Tamil caves, it is somewhat surprising that the influence of Ardhamāgadhī (AMg.), the language of the earliest Jaina canonical literature, is minimal on the loanwords occurring in the inscriptions. From among more than a hundred IA stems, only five may be regarded as derived from AMg. based on the special characteristics of that dialect (Table 3.³). The first four loanwords occur in the Tamil-Brāhmī inscriptions, and the last in an Early Vaṭṭeluttu inscription.