Carving a Space for Jainism: Jain Rock-Cut Caves in Early Historic to Medieval Tamil Nadu, South India

Summary

The ancient temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu is flanked on the east and west by a series of granitic hill ranges and inselbergs. Upon many of these hills are caves containing rock-cut beds and inscriptions that record donations to Jain mendicants. Until recently, interest in these caves has been primarily epigraphical with exiguous analysis of their architectural features and use as Jain residences. In fact, the role of Jains in the history of Tamil Nadu, where they currently represent 0.1% of the population, has been notably marginalized. This paper draws on archaeological evidence and geospatial analysis to situate these cave sites within a broader archaeological context and examine their occupational history and use by Jain monastic communities, beginning c. 3rd century BCE. I suggest that Jain mendicants chose particular hills and caves as the sites of their religious retreats due to their topographic features and close proximity to trade routes and economic and political centers. Moreover, the proximity and inter-visibility of these cave sites poses interesting questions about the organization of early Jain monasticism and the significance of these sites for itinerant merchants, who appear prominently in the donative inscriptions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Archaeology of India

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14998