Vallimalai Jain caves are located in Vallimalai village in Katpadi taluk of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu.
Vallimalai Jain Beds | |
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![]() Vallimalai Jain caves | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Jainism |
Deity | Tirthankara |
Festival | Mahavir Janma Kalyanak |
Location | |
Location | Vallimalai, Vellore, Tamil Nadu |
Geographic coordinates | 13°04′24.6″N 79°15′50.9″E / 13.073500°N 79.264139°E |
Architecture | |
Style | Dravidian architecture |
Creator | Rachamalla II |
Date established | 2nd century BCE |
Completed | 870 CE |
Materials | Rock cut |
History
editVallimalai Jain caves contains natural caverns that were inhabited by Digambar monks in early historic period.[clarification needed] [1][2] The monks from Bihar used to come here during the late-maurya period. The smooth and polished beds were carved during the rule of Satavahana dynasty.[3] A total of five inscription are found[4] with one of the inscriptions dating back to 8th century.[5] The Jain carvings were created during the reign of Ganga King Rachamalla II in c. 870 CE after conquest of this region from Chola kings.[6][6][7][8] An inscription, below the sculptures, states the name of Devasena of Bana Kingdom along with his Jain monks Bhavanandin and Aryanandin.[9]
Vallaimalai was an important Jain center during 8th-9th century.[7]
Architecture
editVallimalai is an important Jain site with several carvings of sculptures of tirthankara. The caverns is 40 by 20 feet (12.2 m × 6.1 m) with height varying between 7–10 feet (2.1–3.0 m). There is also a temple in the region which was converted to a Hindu temple.[10] The caves consist of three chambers, two of these chambers contain images of Jain tirthankar. Above this group, there are the remains of a wall, believed to have been a small fort occupied by Jains.[11] A torana is found above Jain images similar to carvings of Badami cave temples.[12]
The Jain sculpture are engraved on two spots, one on the northern side of Murugan temple and second on the southern side, with one sculpture with superhuman dimensions.[11] There is an image of Ambika in sukhasana position wearing a necklace, armbands, and crown.[13] Ambika is depicted sitting on a lion with carvings of her two sons below her pedestal.[14] There is also image of Padmavati with 4 hands, holding goad and noose in upper right and left hands.[7]
Conservation
editThese caves are protected by Archaeological Survey of India.[15] In 2014, "Ahima Walks" was organized in the region to promote the place.[8]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ Ramaswamy 2017, p. 384.
- ^ The Hindu 2018.
- ^ Ramaswamy 2017, p. 52.
- ^ Umamaheshwari 2018, p. 38.
- ^ Subramanian 2002, p. 36.
- ^ a b Aravamuthan 1992, p. 30.
- ^ a b c Chennai museum, p. 59.
- ^ a b Murthi 2014.
- ^ Aravamuthan 1992, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Chennai museum, p. 138.
- ^ a b Sewell 1882, p. 156.
- ^ Owen 2012, p. 60.
- ^ Subramanian 2012.
- ^ Chennai museum, p. 105.
- ^ ASI.
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- Aravamuthan, T. G. (1992) [1930]. Portrait Sculpture in South India. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120608009.
- Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Historical Dictionaries of Peoples and Cultures (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538106860.
- Sewell, Robert (1882). Lists of the Antiquarian Remains in the Presidency of Madras. Historical Dictionaries of Peoples and Cultures. Vol. 2. E. Keys, at the Government Press.
- Subramanian, K. R. (2002) [1929]. Origin of Saivism and Its History in the Tamil Land. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120601444.
- Umamaheshwari, R. (2018). Reading History with the Tamil Jainas: A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation. Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures. Vol. 2. Springer. ISBN 9788132237563.
- Owen, Lisa (2012). Carving Devotion in the Jain Caves at Ellora. Brill's Indological Library. Vol. 41. Brill Publishers. ISBN 9789004206298.
Web
edit- Murthi, V Narayana (5 August 2014). "'Ahimsa Walks' to Save Jain Monuments at Vallimalai". The New Indian Express.
- Subramanian, T. S. (15 June 2012). "Icons of grace". The Hindu.
- "On a walk to explore lesser known heritage spots". The Hindu. 20 November 2018.
- ASI. "Vellore sub-circle". Archaeological Survey of India.
- Chennai museum. "ICONOGRAPHY OF THE JAIN IMAGES IN THE GOVERNMENT MUSEUM". Government Museum, Chennai. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
External links
edit- Media related to Vallimalai Jain caves at Wikimedia Commons