Epigraphical Profile & Archaeological Context
Location & Site:Ezhadipattam Cavern, Sittanavasal Hill, Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu
Historical Period:Early Historic Period (1st Century BCE)
Patron Sovereign:Pandya Royal Benefactors
🖋️Primary Inscriptional Text
Tamil-Brahmi Script • TamilOriginal Text Transliterated in Devanagari / Regional Script:
எமிநாட்டு அசோகன் செய்த ஆதனம்...
Romanized Transliteration (IAST):
Emi-nāṭṭu Asōkan seytha āthanam...
Scholarly English Translation:
“The sacred polished stone meditation bed (karpadukkai) carved for the ascetic Asokan of Emi-nadu to undertake solemn dhyana and voluntary spiritual vow of Vadakkiruthal (Sallekhana).”
🔬Historical & Epigraphical Significance
Confirms the deep antiquity of Digambara Jain ascetic settlements in Tamil Nadu, demonstrating centuries of uninterrupted Sallekhana penance in southern granite caverns.
Primary Epigraphical Citations:
- Mahadevan, Iravatham, Early Tamil Epigraphy, Harvard Oriental Series, Vol. 62, 2003
- Archaeological Survey of India, Southern Circle Memoirs, Sittanavasal
Associated Archaeological Monument:
Explore MonumentsSittanavasal Arivar Koil & Ezhadipattam Cavern
A celebrated rock-cut cave temple and natural cavern. The Arivar Koil contains rare 9th-century fresco-secco murals depicting the Samavasarana lotus lake (Bhavya souls gathering flowers), while Ezhadipattam houses 17 polished stone Sallekhana beds.