Ancient 1008 Adinath Bhagwan Digambar Jain Temple, Mudhunagar, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu.

03^rd November 2019,

The visit to this Jain temple is a part of 71^st Ahimsa walk  organized by the Tamil  Samanars ( Jains ) at K N Pettai ( Kumarappa Naicken Pettai ), near Cuddalore and Thiruvanthipuram.  Visited this temple before the Ahimsa walk.

Presiding Deity : Sri Adinath Bhagwan

Some of the important details of this Temple are….

The Jinalaya is facing east with an entrance arch.  Bailpedam and Dwajasthambam are after the entrance. The Jinalaya was built with sanctum sanctorum, antarala, artha mandapam and a mukha mandapam. An ekathala vimana is over the sanctum.  The Stucco images of Tirthankaras are on the sides of Vimana in sitting posture. The niches / Koshtas are empty.  The moolavar Adinath is in standing posture and looks cute.  The Chakras like Siddha Chakra, Navagraha Chakras are kept in antarala.

In the prakara, on the left  is the kshetrapalaka and on the right is the Adinath patha and mandapam on the right side. Brahma devar with his consorts, Mahavira Tirthankara, Parshvanath Tirthankara, Chandraprabhu Tirthankara, Neminatha Thirthankara’s Yaksha and Yakshini  Gomeda or Srvahna &  Ambika or Kushmandini  and Dharma Devi are in the mandapa. The original stone mandapa was extended on both sides during recent period, keeping part of the old pillars.

HISTORY & INSCRIPTION

This Jain Temple was built during 1891 CE by the then South Arcot British period  Collector Sri Balaiyya Nainar. In 1865 CE, during excavation of earth for constructing a house for his daughter, this Adinath Bhagwan idol was found. A 4500 sq ft land was obtained from the Government  and a temple was built for this Adinath Tirthankara. It was believed that this idol belongs  to before 8^th Century and was worshiped by Dharmasena -I and II.  During 1^st Century  It is to noted that one of the two groups of Jain monks who travelled from Shravanabelagola, settled at this place and established a learning centre and the same was latter called as Then Pataliputra ( south Pataliputra ). This learning centre was headed by Dharmasena –I and after Dharmasena-II and he latter converted to Savaite called Appar alias Thirunavukkarasar is a different story.

The inscription tablet is fixed on the wall of the mukha mandapa. The inscription reads as…

ஸ்ரீஜீநாய நம:

1. 1891 வருடம் நந்தந  நாம ஸம்வத்ஸரே
2. பாத்ரபதே சுத்ர ஸப்தம்யாம் கூ
3. டலூர் வுஷபநாத நயனார் குமாரர்
4. விஜயபால நயனாரால் ஸ்ரீசை
5. த்யாலயம் நூதநமாய் செய்து ப்ரதி
6. ஷ்டா மஹோத்வம் செய்யப்பட்டது

( 3 ...... வுஷபநாத..... என்பது விருஷபாத என்று இருக்கவேண்டும் )

TEMPLE TIMINGS:

The temple will be kept opened  in the morning hours for the Pooja.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Mr Theva Jayasundaran may be contacted on his mobile 7502088802 for further clarifications.

HOW TO REACH:

The temple is about  4 KM from Cuddalore Bus Stand and 1.3 KM from Cuddalore OT ( Old Town ).

On the main road from Cuddalore to Chidambaram turn right at the Junction of saravana Complex and the temple is about 100 meters.

The temple is about 34 KM from Puducherry, 50 KM from Villupuram and 170 KM from Chennai.

LOCATION:  CLICK HERE

 A stone jolly / window / Jala

 Brahmadev with his consorts ( Ayyanar in Hinduism ) 

 Adinath Bhagwan

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---