Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s12.t3: 4.10.3 Late period (ca. 4th-6th centuries A.D.)
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s12.t3
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4.10.3 Late period (ca. 4th-6th centuries A.D.)
c23.s12.t3.1
The era of natural cave shelters came to an end during this period. The Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions at Sittannavasal-B and Tiruchirapalli-B (Nos. *101-107* & *108-110*, ca. 5th century A.D.) are the last of the Jaina cave shelters in the earlier tradition. A new type of Jaina monuments appears in the Tamil country in the 6th century A.D. in the form of the *nicītikai* inscriptions at Paraiyanpattu and Tirunatharkunru (Nos. *115* & *116*). These are epitaphs engraved on the bare summit of boulders commemorating the places where Jaina ascetics fasted unto death. Even though these Early Vaṭṭeḻuttu inscriptions are earlier in date, they clearly belong to the *sallekhana* ('religious fasting unto death') tradition of Karnataka which has more numerous examples than the Tamil country. The *nicītikại* inscriptions represent a fresh wave of influence from Karnataka, though contacts between the Tamil and Kannada Jaina communities existed even earlier in this period as indicated by the inscription at Nekanurpatti (No. *83*, ca. 4th century A.D.).
c23.s12.t3.2
During most of this period, the Tamil country was under the rule of the Kalabhras, said to be tribal invaders from Karnataka following the Jaina faith. They displaced the traditional Tamil monarchies and held sway over the Tamil country for nearly three centuries until they were expelled in the last quarter of the 6th century A.D. by Kaṭuṅkōṉ, the Pāṇḍya, from the south and Simhaviṣṇu Pallava from the north. It is, however, significant that there is no inscriptional evidence for increased support to Tamil Jainism during the Kalabhra rule; on the contrary, the number of Jaina inscriptions decreased further during this period reflecting the unsettled conditions following the invasion.
c23.s12.t3.3
The earliest epigraphic evidence for the construction of temples and monasteries in brick and mortar is found in the Pulankurichi inscription of King Cēntaṉ Kūṟṟaṉ (ca. 500 A.D.).¹ There is now a general consensus that he was a Kalabhra ruler as the name Kūṟṟaṉ does not occur in the Pāṇḍya dynasty, and as there is clear Kannada influence on the language of the inscription (e.g. *avaru*, *ūru*, *aruḷḷittār*, etc). The inscription relates to the administrative arrangements made for three places of worship, two of them Hindu (*dēvakulam*) and the other Jaina (*tāpata-p-paḷḷi* which was located in Madurai). The inscription provides evidence that the Kalabhras, acting in the tradition of the rulers of the land, did not discriminate between the Hindu and Jaina places of worship.
c23.s12.t3.4
¹ Y. Subbarayalu and M.R. Raghava Varier 1991: pp. 57-69.