Early South Indian Palaeography c16.2

c16.2

The Māllakoṇḍa hill in the Kandukur Taluk of the Nellore District contains an early inscription in the Brāhmī characters attributable to the third century B.C. The record is engraved on the brow of a projecting boulder of rock on the hill. The over-hanging rock forms a large natural cavern below it. It is now called the *Parvati-guha*. It must have been occupied by Jaina or Buddhist monks. Though Jaina and Buddhist vestiges of a later date have been found in the Chingleput, North Arcot and South Arcot Districts, the discovery of this cavern with an inscription of the third century B.C. is of considerable value for the student of the early history of Jainism and Buddhism in the area. It has been seen that similar caverns have been found in the Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Tirunelveli Districts.