Vijayamangalam Jain temple

Vijayamangalam Jain temple
ஸ்ரீ 1008 பகவான் சந்திரபிரபு சுவாமி திகம்பர் ஜெயின் கோவில்
Vijayamangalam Jain temple
Shri 1008 Bhagavan Chandraprabhu Swami Digambar Jain Temple
Religion
AffiliationJainism
DeityChandraprabha
FestivalMahavir Jayanti
Governing bodySri Chandraprabhu Digamber Jain Mandir Bastipuram
Location
LocationVijayamangalam, Erode, Tamil Nadu
Interactive map of Vijayamangalam Jain temple
Coordinates11°14′58″N 77°30′10.5″E / 11.24944°N 77.502917°E / 11.24944; 77.502917
Architecture
StyleWestern Ganga architecture
CreatorKing Konguvelir
Established678 C.E.
Temple1

Vijayamangalam Jain temple also known as Chandrapraba Tirtankarar Temple is a Jain temple in the town of Vijayamangalam in Erode district, Tamil Nadu.[1]

History

Idols of King Konguvelir, his maid and the members of the Tamil Sangam

Vijayamangalam was historically part of Kongu Nadu. This town was an ancient settlement of Jains.[2] Vijayamangalam Jain temple was built in c. 678 C.E. by King Konguvelir of Velir dynasty.[3][1][4] King Konguvelir composed an epic Perunkathai, one of the Tamil Pancha-Kaviyams here.[5] The Government Museum, Chennai dates the monument to the 7th century CE and associates its architectural history with the Gangas and the Cholas.[6] Tamil Sangam (assembly of Tamil scholars and poets) was organised here when Konguvelir composed Perunkathai. During the sangam King's maid helped him to answer the questions of scholarly Sangam. To commemorate this event the idols of King Konguvelir, his maid and the members of the Tamil Sangam were installed inside the temple.[1]

There is an inscription inside the temple that talks of the beauty of Perunkathai. The Vijayamangalam village is also the birthplace of a 12th-century Jain acharya Bhavanandi, who authored Nannūl, a work on Tamil grammar. This temple is the oldest Jain temple in the Kongu Nadu region.[1]

Pullava, sister of Chavundaraya (a minister during the reign of Western Ganga dynasty), committed sallekhana or fasting to death here.[7]

The survival of stone inscriptions at the temple provides further evidence of its historical importance. Paintings and a collection of stone and bronze Jain images are also preserved at the monument.[6]

Architecture

This temple is dedicated to Chandraprabha, the eighth Tirthankara of Jainism.[8] The main idol was burgled in the earth 2000s and still has not been recovered. The temple follows Western Ganga architecture with brick Vimana facing south and ardhamandapa housing idols of Pañca-Parameṣṭhi.[9] The temple is enclosed within a prakaram entered through a gopuram.[10] The Government Museum's architectural survey describes the temple as incorporating both Dravidian and Ganga-style vimanas.[6] Many Jain idols dating back to uncertain times having reported in Vijayamangalam.[11]

The temple remains a functioning Jain religious monument despite its status as a protected archaeological site.[6]

Sculpture and iconography

The temple preserves an extensive collection of Jain sculpture. Twenty-four stone images of the Tirthankaras are among the principal sculptural remains recorded at the monument. Other stone sculptures include representations of a yakshi, Dharmadevi and Kushpanini. A particularly extensive sculptural programme occurs on the inner ceiling, where approximately 130 relief sculptures depict episodes from the life of Adinatha, the first Tirthankara. The temple also preserves bronze images of Adinatha, Anantanatha, Neminatha and Mahavira. Paintings and stone inscriptions have also been recorded within the temple.[6]

Protection

The temple is maintained and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.[12]

See also

References

Citation

Sources

Book

  • Jeyaraj, V. Directory of Monuments in Tamil Nadu (PDF). Chennai: Government Museum. p. 122.
  • Pillai, M. S. Purnalingam (1994). Tamil Literature. Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120609556.
  • Subramanian, K. R. (2002). Origin of Saivism and Its History in the Tamil Land. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120601444.
  • Sangave, Vilas Adinath (1981), The Sacred ʹSravaṇa-Beḷagoḷa: A Socio-religious Study, Murtidevī granthamālā, vol. 8, Mumbai: Bhartiya Jnanpith, ISBN 9789326355599
  • Tandon, O. P. (1986). Jaina Shrines in India. Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 978-81-230-2454-7.
  • Umamaheshwari, R. (2018). Reading History with the Tamil Jainas: A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation. Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures. Vol. 2. Springer. ISBN 9788132237563.

Web

  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Jain temple, Mettupudur, Erode at Wikimedia Commons
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