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Temple of Sri Bhagavan Paraswanathar or Appandanathar
Thirunarankondrai Village - 1983-84
 Jainism was very popular in Tamil Nadu at one time and flourished simultaneously along with Buddhism in South India. Both these religions declined in South India from medieval times mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, due to the advent of Sankara on the religious landscape of India and his preaching of Advaita (which was the main strength of these religions) and secondly due to the Chola kings converting to Shaivism in a big way, specially, after Raja Raja Chola. Subsequently, many Jain shrines were converted to Hindu shrines. Some were abandoned due to the decline in the number of devotees. However, some shrines, stone beds, stone carvings and images, which were on the hilltops, have survived. In my travels through Tamil Nadu I have found evidence of Jain shrines, caves and viharas (hostels for monks) in several places like Karur and Chittanavasal, Poompuhar, etc. The famous Shivaite temple of Darasuram at the outskirts of Kumbakonam is also supposed to have been converted from an original Jain temple.
During the year 1983-84 when I was the Collector of South Arcot District I was pleasantly surprised to find an ancient Jain site in the village of Thirunarankondrai. At one time this village was one of the famous Jain pilgrim centres in India. Its present location is ten miles northwest of Ulundurpet. When you come to the village you see a picturesque hillock in the western side of the village. At the height of about sixty feet, on the top, you see two boulders, which have been converted to resemble a cave temple. A flight of steps leads to the top of the hill. On one of the boulders is a carved image, about four feet high, of Jain Thirthankara Paraswanathar. Sri Paraswanathar is the twenty-third Thiruthankara of the twenty-four Jain Thirthankarars (munnis). The twenty-fourth and the last thirthankar are the best known of them all, Shri Mahavir Swami.
As the story goes, Shri Paraswanathar is called 'Appar' as well as 'Appandainathar' here. According to the local legend, Paraswanathar saved his devotees in the form of father and the mother - hence he is known here as Appandainathar, i.e., Lord as Appar (father) and Andai (mother). Most of these stories have arisen with respect to Jain shrines after they were rediscovered and readopted by local populations who are generally respectful to all idols found underground or on hills. In the Thirunarankondrai image, Lord Paraswanathar is standing upright. An out-stretched hood of a serpent covers his head like a canopy. The image is unclothed. A small tower has been built on top of the boulder, while there is an inscription on the other rock. Another image of Jain Thirathankar Vrishbha stands at the foot of the steps leading to the top of the hillock. According to the legend this image has been brought from Pavandur village, situated, nine miles southeast of Thirukoilur, which indicates the existence of a Jain shrine in Pavandur in the early times. On the southwest side of the temple there is a natural pond (sunai) with an underground spring where water is available throughout the year. The daily Abishekam (ritualistic bathing and cleaning) of the statues is done by the water taken from this pond. The village also has a big water tank called Kundavai Peria Eri that was built for the village by Kundavai Pirattiar, the sister of the great Raja Raja Cholan for the benefit of Jain monks, scholars and devotees.
 Apart from the statue of Paraswanathar there are some more valuable idols, (perhaps collected from other Jain shrines in the neighbourhood like Pavandur gone into disuse), which are kept on the northern side of Sri. Paraswanathar. Important among these is the idol of Thirthankar Chandranathar. The local tradition says that the images were discovered by chance by a man of Vedar (healer) community. He seems to have gone up the hill in search of herbs and medicinal plants and stumbled on the Jain images. It is only after the rediscovery of the idols in this manner that the local king built a temple at this spot. Some Jain manuscripts also confirm this description. Evidence shows that Thirunarankondrai was a great centre of Jain learning at one time and the monks and scholars from all over India visited the place. It is also stated that the Tamil version of Ramayana written by sage Kambar was presented and authenticated by Jain scholars initially in this place. The important features of this temple are elaborated in a Jain work called the 'Appandanathar Ula' written by 'Anantha Viyasar' a well-known Jain scholar of South India.
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