Cholapandiyapuram or Cholavandipuram or Cholapandipuram is a 1 sq. kilometre village in Tirukkoyilur taluk in

Kallakurichi district Kallakurichi is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarter is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi District was announced on 8 January 2019 and it came into existence on 26 November 2019. History During Ancient ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people who live in this area. In 2011, the village had a population of 1,000 people.

Location

Cholapandiyapuram is located southwest of Tirukkoyilur, northwest of

Ulundurpettai Ulundurpettai or Ulundurpet (உளுந்தூர்பேட் / உளுந்தூர்பேட்டை) is a Municipality in Ulundurpet taluk of kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is at the intersection of NH 68 an ...

Transportation

Town buses depart from Tirukkoyilur bus stand (bus no: 5, 20) to

Rishivandiyam Rishivandiyam is a Village panchayat in Sankarapuram Taluk of Kallakurichi district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Rishivandhiyam is one of the 20 blocks of Kallakurichi, and has 43 panchayat villages in it. Elections and winners in the co ...

go through Cholapandiyapuram. Otherwise, one can alight at Ariyur Koot road bus stop (all buses going from Tirukkoyilur to

and

Kallakurichi Kallakurichi is a Municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Kallakurichi district in Tamil Nadu. As of 2019, the town had a population of 73528. Member of the L ...

) and can take shared auto.

About the village

Cholapandiyapuram village has more than 1000 years old heritage. This village was a

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

centre during the 10th century C.E.

Andimalai

The attractive feature of this village is the presence of hillock called Andimalai with

caves, stone beds, inscriptions and sculptures. There are 25 stone beds and some of the stone pillows of the beds were carved semicircular. The 23rd Thirthankarar of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

, Parshwanathar or

Parshva ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

Bahubali Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...

Gomateshwara Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...

and

Mahavira Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...

were nicely carved on the rock. An inscription said these carvings were made at the behest of Sriveli Konkaraiyar Puddhadigal. Another inscription was in the form of a poem: it mentions that a local chieftain, Siddhavadavan alias Sethirayan, donated Panaipadi village for the worship of these Jaina tirthankaras during the second regnal year (952 A.D.) of Chola king

Gandaraditya Gandaraditha Chola ( ta, கண்டராதித்த சோழன்) succeeded his father Parantaka I and became the Chola king about 955 CE. He was also a Tamil literary poet in the Thiruvisaippa Palandu.''Epigraphy'', by Archaeological ...

. Statues of Dharmadevi and Iyakki was placed separately in the hill. Also two statues of Adinathar or

Rishabha Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain c ...

taken from nearby villages are kept in the hill. Inside a cave, a stone seat was found which possibly for a Jain monk where he sat and taught the students.

Padiyendhal

Padiyendhal is a rock art site in a small cave located backside of Andimalai. Actually the name "Padiyendhal" refers to the nearby village. Local people call this cave as "Irulan Kal". On the roof of the cave, ancient paintings of horse, bow and arrow structures are found. The symbols found in the roof and the side walls of the cave are similar to that of found in

Indus valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...

, p. 38

Pictures

File:Cholapandiyapuram andimalai Bahubali.jpg,

File:Cholapandiyapuram andimalai Parshvanathar1.JPG,

File:Cholapandiyapuram andimalai mahavirar.jpg,

File:Cholapandiyapuram andimalai stone beds1.jpg, Stone Beds used by Jain Monks

References

{{Kallakurichi district Archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu Villages in Kallakurichi district Jain temples in Tamil Nadu 10th-century Jain temples Jain rock-cut architecture Tamil architecture Tamil art