Tirumalai (lit. "the holy mountain"; also later Arhasugiri, lit. "the excellent mountain of the Arha ;

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Engunavirai-Tirumalai, lit. "the holy mountain of the Arhar" is a Jain temple and cave complex dating from at least the 9th century CE that is located northwest of

Polur Polur is a scenic town and a Religious site for Lord Narasimha called Sampathgiri, divisional headquarters and a market center in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu in India. Located at the foothills of Javvadhi hills, a popular section o ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, southeast

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The complex includes three Jain caves, two

Jain temples A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...

and a sculpture of

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

Neminatha Neminātha (Devanagari: नेमिनाथ) (Sanskrit: नेमिनाथः), also known as Nemi and Ariṣṭanemi (Devanagari: अरिष्टनेमि), is the twenty-second tirthankara of Jainism in the present age (). Nemina ...

thought to date from the 12th century CE that is the tallest Jain image in

Arahanthgiri Jain Math Arahanthgiri Jain Math is a Jain Matha established near Tirumalai in August 1998. The Math is headed by Bhattaraka Dhavalakeerthi. History History of Arahanthgiri Jain Math starts from the period of 322–185 BCE as the Last 'Shrutkevali' Bh ...

is also present near Tirumalai complex.

History

Tirumalai has been an important Jain center since ancient times. It is believed that 8,000 Jain monks who accompanied Bhadrabahu did the penance and attained

nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

here. The footprints of four great saints - Vrishabhsenachrya, Samanatabhadracharya, Varadattachrya munivar and Sri Vadeepa Simhasuri are also present here. An inscription dating back to 1024 CE is present mentioning the name Kunthavai Jinalaya temple. This inscription mentions the list conquest done by

Rajendra Chola I Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as ...

and the offerings made by him to Kunthavai Jinalaya temple.

Early site

Tirumalai jain temple - terrocotta sculpture

The large cavern at the base of the site is thought to have been built around the 9th century. In the 10th century it was converted into 30 separate chambers, possibly to accommodate figures of

Tirthankaras In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', a fordable passage across '' saṃsāra'', the sea of interminable birt ...

and a

yakshi Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from Devas and Asuras and Gandharvas or Apsaras. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yaks ...

. Similar to the

Ellora caves The Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aurangabad, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 AD, including Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves., Quote: "The ...

, the representation of celestial being performs a ritual on tirthankara is present. An inscription found on a buried rock in front of the gopura at the base of the hill from the late 10th century refers to the site as Vaigai-malai or “the mountain of Vaigai.” Two other inscriptions found on a piece of rock at the top of the hill and buried on a piece of rock underneath the steps between the gopura and the painted cave refer to it as Vaigai-Tirumalai or “the holy mountain of Vaigai.” The name Vaigai is thus thought to be connected with Vaigavur, the historic name of the village at the base of the rock.

Jain temples

Kuntahavai Jain temple

The Kunthavai Jinalaya temple is a 10th-century

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

, said to have been commissioned by the Princess Kundavai of the

Chola Dynasty The Chola dynasty () was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd cen ...

. It is one of two such sites commissioned by her, though the other site, ''Dadapuram'', has not survived. This temple is situated on top of the Tirumulai hill with engraving of

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

flanked by two lions. This temple is partly excavated and partly built within caverons of the rock. This temple is rich in sculptures and base-relief. This temple contains the monolithic sculpture of

. This idol is tallest Jain idol in Tamil Nadu. There are footprints of Jain monks to commemorate their

near the temple.

Mahavir temple

In the 16th century, a second temple for

Mahavir Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

was built to the west of the Kunthavai Jinalaya.

Parshvanath temple

In the 17th century, a third temple for Parshvanath was constructed.

Paintings

Paintings are thought to have been added to the site between the 15th-17th centuries. Some of these still survive. These painting are considered comparable to that of present in

. The painting of Parshvanatha with hood of five snakes venerated by monks, nuns and others is one of the most notable paintings in Tirumali complex. Kuntahavai Jain Temple features a painting with depiction of

Samavasarana In Jainism, Samavasarana or Samosharana ("Refuge to All") is the divine preaching hall of the Tirthankara, stated to have more than 20,000 stairs in it. The word ''samavasarana'' is derived from two words, ''sama'', meaning general and ''avasar ...

similar to that of present in

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas ...

. The paintings of Ambika, Parshvanatha and

Bahubali Bahubali (, ) was the son of Rishabhanatha (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of the ''Chakravarti (Sanskrit term), chakravartin'' Bharata (Jainism), Bharata. He is a revered figure in Jainism. He is said to have meditated ...

are also noteworthy.

Jain Matha

is a

Jain Matha A ''matha'' (; , ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

that was established near the site in August, 1998.

Conservation

These caves are protected by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

Gallery

File:Tirumalai Neminatha Statue.jpg, The statue of

Neminath Neminātha (Devanagari: नेमिनाथ) (Sanskrit: नेमिनाथः), also known as Nemi and Ariṣṭanemi (Devanagari: अरिष्टनेमि), is the twenty-second tirthankara of Jainism in the present age (). Nemina ...

File:Tirumalai jain temple 4.jpg, Detailed carvings at Tirumalai File:Tirumalai jaintempe 3.jpg,

Shikhara ''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...

with detailed carving, Kuntahavai Jain Temple File:Upper Temple Complex at Tirumalai.jpg,

File:Tirumalai 3391 paintings ceiling.JPG, Paintings on ceiling File:Tirumalai Jain temple - cave structure.JPG, Cave structure

References

Sources

Citation

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Jain Caves in India Jain temples in Tamil Nadu Archaeological monuments in Tamil Nadu 9th-century Jain temples Jain rock-cut architecture Tamil architecture Tamil art Chola architecture Mountains in Hinduism