Jina Kanchi - The Kanchipuram of the Jains
Tirupparauthikundram is a quiet village located at a distance of about 3 km from Kanchipuram. This village has two ancient Jain temples, and as per an inscription, this village was once called the Jina Kanchi. The village, once a stronghold of Digambara Jainism, has just two temples remaining today. The beautiful Trilokyanatha temple and the smaller Chandraprabha temple are those two Jain temples. Let us explore them in detail.
Chandraprabha Temple
Chandraprabha Temple is a comparatively smaller temple but is the oldest surviving Jain temple of Kanchipuram. The east-facing temple was probably built by Nandivarma II Pallava in the 8th century CE. There is no record or evidence about this temple's construction date or contributor. Only based on the architectural style, it is believed that it was built by Nandivarma II.
Although the base is made of granite, sandstone has been mainly used for construction. The vimana is made of brick and mortar. The rampant standing horned lions are seen on the pillars, which are clearly the signs of the Pallavas.
The sanctum, Ardha Mandapa, the small Mukha mandapa, and a small prakara are all located on the first floor. It is believed that the ground floor was constructed during the Pallava period, and the top floor was built later. There is no deity on the ground floor.
The presiding deity is Chandraprabha, the 8th Tirthankara in Jainism. He is found seated and doing meditation. The icon is a white-colored stucco image. The two chamara bearers on his sides were probably sculpted in the 15th century CE.
The small stone image of Vardhamana, the 24th Tirthankara, discovered near Kamakshi temple and brought here in 1922 CE, is found in this temple. A new marble image of Kunthunatha, the 17th Tirthankara, is also seen.
Three inscriptions from Rajendra Chola I (11th century CE) are found in the temple. But, they are incomplete inscriptions. They do not go beyond ''Meikeerthi''.
Trilokyanathar Temple
History
Tirlokyanatha Temple is a comparatively more prominent and attractive Jain temple in this village. Although the current structure belongs to Chola and Vijayanagara periods, it is believed to have been built by the Pallavas in the 6th century CE. The earliest reference to the site is found in a copper plate from Pallan Kovil near Tiruvidaimaruthur. It is dated to 556 CE during the rule of the Pallava King Simha Varma III. The plate refers to the deity as Vajranandi Kuravar of Paruthikundram. Due to this copper plate, few scholars believe the temple was built by the same King. It is thought that only the temple for Mahaveera was constructed using brick and mortar and was called Vardhamaneeswaram.
The current structure of the sanctum, Ardha Mandapa and Mukha Mandapa belong to the Chola period. The sanctum is believed to have been reconstructed by Kulotunga Chola I in the early 12th century CE. These mandapas are made of sandstone with granite bases. The apsidal and circular vimanas are made of brick and mortar. The Trikuta Basti portion of the temple was built in the 13th century CE (Kulotunga Chola III). Pushpadanta and Dharma Devi shrines were also made in the 13th century. Shanti Mandapa, located in the prakara, was built during the period of Rajaraja Chola III (1236 CE).
The broad and attractive Sangita Mandapa and the beautiful paintings belong to the Vijayanagaras (14th century CE). Irugappa, the minister of Bukka II, built this in 1387/88 CE. It is said that he constructed this 61 feet lengthy mandapa to fulfill the wish of his Guru Pushpasena. The minister became a saint himself during his later period. His image is found in a pillar in this mandapa.
The east-facing three-tiered tower at the entrance was also probably built by Irugappa.
Layout:
The temple is east-facing and has a small three-tiered tower.
The main shrine has two sections, namely, Trilokyanatha and Trikuta Basti.
In the Trilokyanatha section, there are three sanctums. The middle one is the primary and old sanctum, which is dedicated to Mahaveera. The other two shrines have Pushpadanta and Dharma Devi as the presiding deities.
Adjacent to Trilokyanatha, the Trikuta Basti section is located. There are three sanctums in this section too. They are dedicated to Padmaprabha, Vasupujya and Parsvanatha.
Trilokyanatha:
The third shrine in this shrine is dedicated to Dharma Devi. It is a stone icon, unlike the other two deities seen above, which are wood. Dharma Devi is the Yakshini of Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara. She is found seated and has two arms. She has lions as her vaahana, and the small relief images of her two sons and an attendant woman are on the pedestal.
The icon of Dharma Devi belongs to the 13th century, but the icons of Mahaveera and Pushpadanta should be hardly 200 years old.
Trikuta Basti:
Padmaprabha, the 6th Tirthankara, in reddish white color, is found in a shrine. He is in the sitting posture and has red lotus as his lanchana. His chamara bearers' icons are in dark and red color.
Vasupujya, the 12th Tirthankara, is found in the second shrine. He is also found seated doing meditation; his icon is in red color. His chamara bearers are in blue and red colors. He has buffalo as his lanchana, carved on the pedestal.
The third shrine with Parsvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, is too small. He is standing and has no chamara bearers. Five hooded serpent is found above his head. His color is green. It is said that this image was found in a well near the temple and was restored to the shrine around 200 years ago.
Other Shrines:
In the prakara, there is a shrine for Brahma Deva. He is found along with his consorts, Poorna and Pushkala. Ayyanar or Shasta of Hinduism is worshiped as Brahma Deva in Jainism. The iconography for the deities and the names of their consorts match. In Jainism, Brahma Deva is considered the Yaksha of Sitala, the 10th Tirthankara. Brahmadeva's icon is in stone, and its period is probably in the 15th century CE.
In Shanti Mandapa, the shrine of Rishabha is found. This is also a later addition.
There is a set of five sub-shrines with a front side Mandapa. They are called Munivasa. One of the cells is assigned to Chandrakrithi, the saint of the 12th century CE. Another cell is assigned to his disciple Anantavirya. Mallisena, the 14th-century sage, has been assigned with two cells. He had authored many literary works related to Jainism. Another cell is assigned to his disciple Pushpasena. Munivasa should have been constructed in the 17th century CE or later. Currently, there is no icon found in any of these five sub-shrines.
Tree with an Inscription:
The holy tree of the temple is the Kura tree, which is found behind the main shrine in the prakara. There is a pedestal with a few inscriptions that date 13th century CE. It is believed that it was probably made by Kopperunchengan. Also, a bali peetha is found near the holy tree.
The inscription on the bali peetha has the small relief image of Anantavirya and also an inscription mentioning him. Few inscriptions mention Mallisena.
Icons of Mukha Mandapa:
In the Mukha Mandapa, there are many metal icons found. The marble image of Mahaveera and a few bronze icons of other Tirthankaras are located in the mandapa. There is a shrine where all the utsav images are kept. They are Parsvanatha, Mahaveera, Anantanatha, Bahubali, Brahmadeva with his consorts, Padmavati, Dharma Devi, Jwalamalini, Nava Devtas, and so on. They all belong to the 18th century or later.
Mural Paintings:
The main highlight of the temple is the beautiful mural paintings found on the walls and ceilings of Sangita Mandapa. The paintings were done originally during the Vijayanagara period. When the faded-out paintings were redone, the original feature and style were maintained, it appears.
The length of the mandapa is 61 feet. It serves as the Maha Mandapa for both sections of the temple. There are 24 pillars of various shapes, such as circular, square and octagonal. Few images of sages, dancing girls, animals, and multiple designs are found on these pillars.
Acknowledgment:
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