Photo 212/3(8)

Genre: Architectural Photography

View of Jain rock carvings and inscriptions at Kalugumalai. Lyon's 'Notes to accompany a series of photographs prepared to illustrate the ancient Aachitecture of Southern India' (Marion and Co., London, 1870), edited by James Fergusson, gives the following description of this photograph: '337, 338, 339 [prints 7-9] - Ascending the Rock a little to the left of the portion shown in the photograph [print 6], an excellent view is obtained of the surrounding country, and here also are found the curious carvings shown in the next three Photographs. They are literally covered with inscriptions, which are said to have been several times copied, but have not yet been deciphered. The rock in places has also been hollowed out into small chambers, such as might be imagined hermits or recluses would have tenanted, but the natives, with their silly habit of worshipping everything, about which they know nothing, have shut up most of these cells, and will allow no one to enter or inspect them. The sculptures on the rock will easily be recognised as belonging to the Jaina religion, and both from the style of execution and the form of the letters of the inscriptions, which seem to be integral, they must be of comparatively modern date. Though the inscriptions have not yet been deciphered, the characters are much more modern than those identified and read by Mr. Babington from the rocks of Mahavellipore; there ought consequently to be no difficulty in reading them if they were properly copied. Some of them indeed seem to differ only slightly from the modem Grantha. Till they are read, it will not be easy to say who the different persons are, these sculptures are intended to represent. Like all Jaina figures they are extremely like one another, and here they are generally without any distinguishing emblems.

In 337 the principal figure on the top, is one of the twenty-four Tirthankars or saints of the Jain, but his emblems are too much weather-worn to be made out. Next to him stands a woman very similar to several figures at Mahavellipore, which belong to the 13th century; she is under a snake-canopy, with a lion by her side. Further to the right are three rows of figures above each other; they represent 4, 5, 6, or 10 figures of disciples, ranged on either hand of a centre figure or group. The inscriptions are generally under these lay figures; the central groups are supposed to be recognisable from their emblems. The same remark applies to 338 [print 8]. The third figure from the right is the Tirthankar; next to him, on his right, is a naked figure under a seven-headed snake-canopy, and over next but one to him, a tree replaces the usual umbrella. In 339 [print 9], the Tirthankar is under a more elaborate canopy in the centre. On his left is a naked saint of the Digambara sect, with an inscription under him; and further still towards the right of the picture, a similar figure attended by a man with a snake-canopy (seven-headed), and below him a female figure with a single snake. As will be observed from the holes in the rock, a wooden roof once protected all these bas-reliefs.'