i was standing at lat-9.945625, long-77.988867, at kongar puliyangkulam.
saved these screenshots on my mobile standing right on top of that small hillock, orrr..should i call it...a large boulder?! though it looks like an excavated patch of land here in these pics, it is actually that very small hillock.
as seen above is how it actually looks from a distance, from the southern side, approaching from madurai-to-theni road.
whats special about this hillock?! why was i standing there?! just to take a look at rocky hillock.
that natural, small cavern seen in the last pic was used by jain monks as an abode a lonnnnnnnnnng back! it looks like a large horizontal split rather than a cavern. more than 50 rocky beds have been cut in that cavern, dated to c.BC- 2nd century; to drain any rain water, small channels have been cut at edges of the bedlines. those beds are mosly located at exact middle of the cavern as seen from here.
apart from these rockcut beds, there's a bass-relief sculpture too, engraved around c.AD-9th / 10th century.
i could not find out the words in old cursive, rounded brahmi script, " achchaNandhi work " cut in the rocks as i read in page-42 of the book - "maduraiyil samaNam"(meaning, "jainism in madurai") by Dr.so.saandhalingam, published by 'karuththu pattarai, madurai-6' as first edition in 2014.
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above allllll these.....the most important feature on this place is...there are three tamil sentences cut in tamil brahmi script at the edge of eastern chamber of the cavern. these engravings belong to BC. 2nd century.
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on the left extreme, this line is found, and reads ( in modern tamil script), "
குற கொடு பிதவன் உபச அன் உபறுவ(ன்)
kuRa kodu pithavan ubasa an uRubava(n)
kuRa = கூரை என்ற இக் குகை = koorai standing for this shelter/cave
kodu pithavan = கொடுப்பித்தவன்/கொடுத்தவன் = one who gave
ubasa n = உபசன் என்ற மதத் தலைவன் = religious leader
ubaruvan = உபறுவன் என்ற பெயர் கொண்டவன் = a man named ubaRuvan
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at the middle of the engraving, the second line reads,
குறு கொடல்கு ஈத்தவன் செற் அதன் ஒன்
kuRu kodalku eeththavan seR adhan on
kuRu = koorai = this shelter/cave
kodal = கொடுத்தல் = act of giving
ku eeththavan (kuyiththavan) = குகை செதுக்கிக் கொடுத்தவன் = one who completed sculpting this cave
seR adhan = 'செற் அதன்' என்ற பெயருடையோன் = a man named seR adhan
on = ஒன்/பொன் = on/pon = gold
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and at the right extreme, the third line goes,
பாகன் ஊர் பேராதன் பிடன் இத்தவேபொன்
paahan oor paeraadhan pitan iththavaepon
paahan oor = பாகனூர் = a village called paahanoor
paeraadhan = பேராதன் = a man named paeraadhan
pitan = பிட்டன் = pittan (second name of that man)
iththa = ஈந்த = given
vae pon = வெண் பொன் = literally white gold, figuratively meaning pure gold
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this paahanoor figures elsewhere in history.
it is mentioned in velvikkudi copper plates. a man named naRchingan claims rights over velvikkudi village of this paahanoor region gifted to his ancestor ( naRkotRan) by palyaakasaalai mudhukudumip peruvazhudhi for performing religious rituals. this paahanoor region is located just behind this range of rocky hills.
was that jackal-naRchingan asking for a rocky land? no. he's a jackal, not a jackass. he asked for the fertile lands watered by vagai river, just behind this hillsrange. though i wanted to trek to those beautiful hillocks, i was running short of time and had to sadly withdraw my plans.
sun was setting down in the western horizons; i had to pack myself back and say goodbye to this rocky abode, which has been standing still all through the ages; a place which has seen many faces more than 2000 years ago; men belonging to sangam age would have shared their dreams inside this cavern, resting their bodies in these inconvenient beds; later in bhakthi period, these caverns would have provided shelters and listened intently to the sobbings and sad stories of jains who were hunted down and were impaled by saivaites. these beds might have received many tear drops. will we ever know those stories?
contemplating the fate of these peace-loving jains, who were impaled in these nearby regions, with a heavy heart, i headed slowly to my native.
my wish is to cover all those jain heritages in and around madurai. this kongar puliyangkulam is the first one in my journey, in search of the those untold....or....least heard stories of jains, esp. of 6th and 7th centuries. wish i get more leaves and a bike at home.
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