History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s6.18

v3.c41.s6.18

Having so far cursorily described the progress of Jainism we will now go on to describe its decline and even fall in the south during the sub-period treated of in this volume, chiefly by the aid of the above mentioned treatise by Mr. Ramaswamy Ayyangar. The opposition came from the revival of Śaivism and its powerful preachers. "If Sambandar (a Śaiva saint) brought about the downfall of Jainism in the Pāndya kingdom, Appar drove the Jains out from the Pallava country" (p. 66). This was in the beginning of the 8th century; but the Cholas who came to power at the end of the 10th century were devout devotees of Śiva and persecuted the Jains more cruelly than the previous rulers. We have already seen that one Chola king is said to have died because of the curse of the persecuted Jains. It need not, therefore, be doubted that the Cholas did use their political power for the suppression of Jainism. In the great temple built at Madura by Rājarāja Chola, he placed the statues of the 63 Nāyanārs or Śaiva saints of the Tamil land for worship; but "in the frescoes on the walls of the Mantapam of the Golden Lily tank of the temple of Mīnākshi at Madura are paintings of the bloody episodes in the bitter struggles between Jainism and Hinduism." (p. 79).