Samanar Malai
The only 50 m high Samanar Malai or Samanar Hill ( Tamil : சமணர் மலை; samanar = "monk", "hermit", "Jain") is a rock group with several relief sculptures of the Jain religion in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The entire hill is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India .
location
The approx. 170 to 220 m above sea level. d. Samanar Malai is located near the village of Keelakuyilkudi about 12.5 km (driving distance) west of the city of Madurai .
history
Archaeologists have found rock inscriptions in the Vatteluttu alphabet , the age of which is estimated to be up to 2000 years; some are about Jain monks who lived in natural rock caves and who swore an oath of fasting ( sallekhana ) to slowly starve themselves to death. A few hundred years later, their successors or stonemasons paid for by wealthy clients furnished the rock faces with numerous sculptural reliefs.
Medieval Tamil and Kannada inscriptions suggest that there was a monastery near the mountain top where monks and nuns lived and studied together. Kings of the Pandya dynasty and monks from Shravanabelagola also visited the place.
several tirthankaras
Mahavira (?)
Tirthankara in meditation posture
Tirthankara in prayer position
Lotus pond
At the foot of the hill is a pond ( Thamarai Kulam ) which, according to local belief, was created by the Jain monks centuries ago and never dries up.
Others
The square under the wide crown of a banyan tree at the foot of the rock group is the venue for a regional festival once a year.
Web links
- Samanar Malai, hill - photo + info (English)
- Samanar Malai, rock inscription - photo + information (English)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 9 ° 55 ′ 9 ″ N , 78 ° 2 ′ 38 ″ E