Jainism (சமணம் /அமணம்) in the Tamil country has a long and illustrious history beginning in the 3rd century BCE and lasting till about the 10th century when it eventually more or less disappeared. Today Tamil Jains are a minuscule minority. As you well know, during the first few centuries of the first millennium Jainism and Buddhism were the predominant religions in the Tamil country. Buddhism had an urban presence and there is very little evidence of its legacy to be seen today. The Jains on the other hand had a presence in remote areas too. They have left a rich legacy in our language, customs, beliefs etc. Some of the richest literary works like the Silapathikaram are Jain works. Kovalan and Kannagi were Jains. Manimekalai was Buddhist. Many Pandian kings of the early part of the first millennium were Jains. The Jains brought literacy to the masses through their schools. To this day, in the Tamil language, we call schools Pallikkoodam (பள்ளிக்கூடம்) after the Jain Pallis or monasteries.
There is plenty of physical evidence that the Jain monks have left behind in the hills, rocks and woods in the Tamil countryside. Many have been heavily vandalized over the centuries. Some are relatively inaccessible. Some have been lost to greedy granite quarries. Some others have survived and some of the most famous ones are in places like Sittannavasal. But here in the deep south, there is a place called Chitharal, about an hour northwest of Nagercoil (about 33 km), in the Thircharanattu Malai Hills (Charanathar means celestial beings in the Jain tradition), where you will be able to appreciate the ruins of a Jain monastery in a peaceful, tranquil and sylvan atmosphere. It was occupied by Jain monks from the 1st century BCE until the 9th century. It is beautiful. Go in the early morning or late afternoon. It gets very hot on the rocks by midday. It is a climb and you have to be fit. It is remote. Be safe. Sometimes hard to find. Be sure your driver knows where he is going. It is sometimes called the Bhagavathy Amman temple because it served as such briefly in the 13th century. The locals call it the Malaikovil.
Visited August 2019
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