Tamil Jain - Origin of Jainism in Tamil Nadu

Origin of Jainism in Tamil Nadu

Some scholars believe that Jain philosophy must have entered South India some time in 6th century B.C. Literary sources and inscription state that Bhadrabahu came over to Shravanabelagola with a 12000-strong retinue of Jain sages when north India found it hard to negotiate with the 12 year long famine in the reign of Chandragupta Maurya. Even Chandragupta accompanied this constellation of sages. On reaching Shravanabelagola, Bhadrabahu felt his end approaching and decided stay back along with Chandragupta and he instructed the Jain saints to tour over the Chola and Pandiya domains.

According to other scholars, Jainism must have existed in south India well before the visit of Bhadrabhu and Chandragupta. There are plenty of caves as old as 4th century CE are found with Jain inscriptions and Jain deities around Madurai, Trichy, Kanyakumari, Tanjavur.

A number of Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions have been found in Tamil Nadu that date from the second century BCE. They are regarded to be associated with Jain monks and lay devotees.

Read more about this topic:  Tamil Jain

Famous quotes containing the words origin of and/or origin:

    The essence of morality is a questioning about morality; and the decisive move of human life is to use ceaselessly all light to look for the origin of the opposition between good and evil.
    Georges Bataille (1897–1962)

    We have got rid of the fetish of the divine right of kings, and that slavery is of divine origin and authority. But the divine right of property has taken its place. The tendency plainly is towards ... “a government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.”
    Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)