It was a custom among the Jaina ascetics to give up their lives by fasting unto death and liberate worldly bondages. This is called sallekana. Inscriptions from places like Tirunatharkunru and Paraiyanpattu, both in the South Arcot district, bear testimony to such a practice of sallekana. A brahmi inscription of the 5^th-6^th century AD. characters records that Tirunatharkunru was the place of fasting. Similaryly at Parayanpattu, the monk who was the disciple of Vajranandi, observed such a vow and liberated his soul. Epigraphic as well as literary documents of later periods also attest to this practice of sallekana.

Previous page | Home Page