ADVENT OF JAINISM AND BUDDHISM Padmakumari Amma. B Jain-buddhist centres in the early history of Kerala Thesis. Department of History, University of Calicut, 1995
CHAPTER THREE ADVENT OF JAINXSM PCND BUt>r>HXSm
ADVENT OF JAINISM AND 6UDDHISPl Kerala which lies at the Southern most part of India is distinguished from the other parts of the sub-continent by its peculiar geographical features. The long range of mountains on the eastern side of the State separates it from the neighbouring States of Tamilnadu and Karnataka. A very long sea-shore is another important feature. It has allowed adventurous foreign traders and travellers to Kerala. These features have helped in controlling the migration of people and to maintain its own unique identity by developing its own way of life. Jainism and Buddhism which were instrumental in bringing about a lot of changes in the social life and the culture of India had their influence upon Kerala also. These religions once flourished in certain small pockets here. Only a few remnants are available here. One may even be led to the
conclusion that they never existed here. Only a thoroughgoing enquiry into the available evidences can enable us to make them a part of history. A. JAINISM. There is no clear cut evidence to show when and where the Jains reached Kerala first. Bhadrabahu Chandra Gupta tradition says that Jains reached Karnataka by 3rd century B.C. Jainism gained the royal benevolence of Gangas, Kadambas and Raehtrakutas. The Calukyas of Badami also gave patronage to them.' Thus Karnataka became the favourite resort of Jainism. Jains from Karnataka must have naturally spread to the Kerala region also in course of time. 1. Jainism in South India, op. cit. p.26. 2. P. N-Narasiqha Murthy, Jainism on the Canara Coast, Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, University of Mysore, 1983. pp. 32-44.
The Wynad route, which connects Kerala with Karnataka, was influential in bringing about changes in the life of Kerala. Jains from Sravana Balgola could have reached Kerala through this pass. They settled at Talakkavu, in Uynad, Kinalur and Tiruvannur in Kozhikode District, by about the begnning of the 8th century of the Christian era. There were famous Jain centres in Tamil Nadu. Kanchipuram was a great centre of the Jains and Buddhists by the time of the visit of Huan Tsang. Anamalai, Kazhukumalai and Sittannavasal were great Jain centres. Jainism was able to exert considerable influence over the people under the able leadership of Kundakundacharya. several kings had adopted the Jain faith and promoted its propagation in Tamil Madu. 3. Nilakanta Sastri K.A. "Malakuta of yuan churang." Proceedin~s and transactions of the. Sixth All India Conference. Patna, 1930. pp. 202. 4. Kundakundacarya Pravacanasara, (Ed). A.N. Upadhye, p. 12.
In the ancient days, Kerala remained a part of Tamilakam. The dynasties of Cera, Cola and Pandya ruled over Tamilakam. They tried to extend their boundaries by defeating one another. It helped the people to come closer and to exchange their customs and traditions. The mountain passes at the eastern side of Kerala enabled people to travel between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Palakkad in the north Aruvamozhi in the south are the main passes which provided the opportunity for co- operation among Tamilians on both sides of the - Sahya mountains. The Jain settelement of Alatt3r in Palakkad district must have been connected with those in Kongu region. There were also other routes through Kumali and D5viku)am which brought the people together. These helped to spread the changes which affected Tamil Nadu and to communicate the ideologies that developed there to Kerala. It is possible that Jainism spread to Kerala from Tamilnadu through Kumali and Dgvikulam also. Yt
The Kallil temple of Perumpavoor in central Kerala is an example of such settlement in Kerala. Kallil could have been the connecting link between the people of TamilNadu and Kodungalloor which was the capital of the Mahodaya Ceras. Another route to Kerala from Tamil Nadu was Aruvamozhi pass. Citaral, in the Taluk of Vilavankode in the District of present Kanyakumari was a very big Jain monastery. It was through Aruvamozhi that the Jains reached here. Inscriptional evidences are there to show that this centre was in touch with other Jain centres of South India. In brief, we may say that Jainism 5. On a stone lying near the Ayyanar Temple in the Sub- Regstrar's office compound at Kazhukumalai, there is an inscriprion having the reference of Tirucc3ranattumalai. "8ri k6tfgr nzttu,ciru 1 tali cafaiyan kot-fiyai, cczrtti tirucc~ranattukku~attikal ceyvitta pa;imamw S.I.I.vo1. V, Archaeological Survey of India, Mysore, 1986. p.123. See also - i ks$turna$tu perumparrur kuttankzmafici catti tiruccgranattu kk~~attikal- ceyta paf imam*'. A.R. no. 37 of 1894. Ibid. p.123.
came to Kerala from the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu through the mountain passes which served as trade routes. This is understandable since the Jains and the Buddhists were largely trading communities which spread from one trade centre to another along with the expansion of trade. 6 Coorg, which is situated at the North eastern border of Kerala, had been ancient seat of Jainism. Tradition maintains that the religious zeal of Samprati, the grandson of Asoka who had conquered Ujjain and Deccan opened up new avenues for the Jain monks in Maharashtra, Sourashtra, Andhra and COOP^.^ Jainism was for a long time the favourite religion of this region. There is every chance of the in due spread of this religion from Coorg to Kerala course. 6. Moti Chandra, Sarthavaha, New Delhi, 1986. 7. Jainism on the Kanara Coast, op. cit.p. 37.
B. BUDDHISM. Buddhism had spread in Tamil Nadu around the 8 3rd century B.C. Asoka refers to Cola, Pandya and Keralaputo as Pratyanta rajyas. Buddhists from Magadha might have reached South India, and entered Tamilnadu at least by the 3rd century B.C. According to Mahavamsa, Buddhism had gained prominence in the island of Sri Lanka by the end of the 3rd century B.C. during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa. So it can be inferred that Buddhism might have spread to Tamil Nadu earlier, since it was the possible land route to Sri Lanka, unless it travelled exclusively by the sea route. Sri Lanka which lies on the south of Indian sub continent had been in constant contact with 8.Dr, Shu Hikosaka, Buddhism in Tamil Nadu A New Perspective, Madras. 1989, p.4. 9. Romila Thapar, Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, (1992) p. 251, 256. Asoka 13th Sasana and 9th line. L
main land. lo The people of Sri Lanka who were well - versed in navigation maintained close relation with the people of the mainland through trade. These traders from Sri Lanka might have come to the shores of Kerala also and brought the Buddhist religion through the sea route. Jainism was established in Sri Lanka around the 4th century B.C. itself. Mahavamsa describes the administrative reforms which had taken place in Sri Lanka during the reign of PZcdukSbhaya around 4th century B.C. The Jains had been so well-settled during those days that the Ajivaka sect was able to construct the t empl e called PZnduklbhaya.. temple. 11 Buddhism gained prominence in the island later by the end of 3rd century B.C., during the reign of DZvZnZmpiya Tissa, the grandson of PZpdukZbhaya. Thus it can be seen that the 10. See for details. K.K.Pillay, South India and Sri Lanka, p. 2. 11. Mahavamsa tika, (Ed) Shreedhar Vasudev Sohini. Navanaland nahavigara 1971. pp. 241,258.
religions of Jainism and Buddhism were established at Sri Lanaka in the very ancient period and that it provided with the opportunity for their spread to Kerala later, through the people who came from there. There remains no proof of Buddhism on any land route from Tamil Nadu or Karnataka to Kerala. It appears that the Buddhists came to Kerala through the sea. It is clear from the fact that the remnants of Buddhism have been found only along the sea-shore and in those places where the Buddhists could reach through sailing. This indicates that the Buddhists who came to Kerala were from Ezham or Ceylon, especially since there is a considerable population of Ezhavas in Kerala. Most of the Buddhists and Jains were traders. Their business interest also led them to travel exteneively. While the Buddhists settled down in the trade centres of Kollam, Alappuzhn and Kottayam districts, the Jains spread over along the routes
of land trade. No Buddhist images have been found in those districts where Jainism was prevalent.the... traditions about the "Palliblna PerumZl" found in KGralZlpatti might contain some historical truth about a king who showed leanings to one or the other of these non-vedic creeds. The association of the name of Vijayaraga with a shrine in Ki$ilGr (KupavZynall3r) where a Jain centre flourished may be related to this episode, but there are no - detailed or concrete evidence-from the Ay king Varagu~a's Paliyam plates containing the donation - - of land to ~rimglavssa Vihara and the Husikavamsa references to Valabha's patronage of the same Vihara we may justly infer that some of the minor - chieftains of Kerala like the Ays and the Miishakas had been more sympathetic than the Perumals to these creeds in early times 12. Thus we may conclude that it was the growth. of Jain centres in Karnataka that led to proliferation to their northern parts of Kerala, - 12. See Appendix. I- F and 11-C.
and similarly it was the growth of such centres in Tamil Nadu which led to the creation of Jain outposts in central and southern parts of Kerala. While the spread of Jainism was accomplished through the land routes of trade along the mountain passes, the spread of Buddhism was the byproduct of sea trade with Sri Lanka. In both cases the trading groups who brought them to Kerala were attracted by the prosper-ity of the land achieved through the rise of agrarian corporations established by Aryan Brahmin immigrants who came from the North, along the Western Coastal route. There was apparently no great conflict between the unorthodox creeds and the Vedic Brahmin creed in Kerala since the former did not pose any threat to the latter, but existed as minority religions enjoying the patronage of some of the Brahminised rulers on a smallscale. They never rose to positions of great political or economic power and they gradually dwindled in size and strength, when the Brahmin settlements became increasingly self sufficient in course of time.