Talk:Impalement of the Jains in Madurai

Categories like   Persecution of Jains ,Persecution by Hindus, Massacres in India, Religious violence in India
I have one question - if the incident is not historically authenticated and could be a part of fabricated story - then is it proper to tag it with above named categories ? In my opinion these categories should be removed from this article - as this is not a authenticated history. Especially I find the Category:Persecution of Jains includes only one - this article at present. Thanks. Jethwarp (talk) 17:39, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Title
Is there any scholarly / academic source that mentions this as "Madurai massacre"? This appears to be a term coined by the Wikipedia user who created this page; the sources that appear in Google search results seem to be based on the Wikipedia article. The academic sources simply mention this as "impalement of the Jains", considering that some versions of the legend claim that the Jains voluntarily impaled themselves. E.g.


 * John E. Cort, 1998: "Impalement of the Jains"
 * Oliver Freiberger, 2006: "The Alleged Impalement of the Cainas"

If nobody has an objection, I'll move this article to the Impalement of the Jains in Madurai. utcursch &#124; talk 22:43, 16 August 2016 (UTC)


 * Do any of the sources consulted by you mention the title "Madurai massacre"? utcursch &#124; talk 13:13, 22 March 2017 (UTC)


 * No! I was wondering why this title? Oliver Freiberger titles it, "The Alleged Impalement of the Jainas" on page 127 as noted above. Cort concurs with Freiberger that this has to be fiction. Ms Sarah Welch (talk) 13:24, 22 March 2017 (UTC)


 * OK, no one seems to have an objection with the move, since I asked this question in August 2016. What's the most suitable title according to you? utcursch &#124; talk 13:32, 22 March 2017 (UTC)


 * I like your suggestion above Impalement of the Jains in Madurai, or alternatively Alleged Impalement of the Jains in Madurai which has direct support in Freiberger. You pick, I have no strong preference on this. Yes, I support a move. Ms Sarah Welch (talk) 19:01, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

Possible Historicity
This article simply tries to establish that the Massacre is not historical. The points put forward by the proponents of this theory are:

1. Sundara Pandiyan is Arikesari Maravarman of 7th century.

2. There is no historical evidence (like inscriptions) from 7th century regarding the massacre.

3. Jains continued to have enjoyed a high status even after 7th century.

All the points rely simply on the assumption that Sundara Pandiyan is Arikesari Maravarman and the event took place in 7th century. But on the other hand, various historian have suggested alternate timeframe for Sundara Pandian. It is possible that Sundara Pandiyan is Maravarman Sundara Pandyan who ruled between 1216–1238 CE. if this is the case, the other points listed above will stand invalid giving plausibility to the historicity of the massacre. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.2.40.161 (talk) 06:52, 10 February 2017 (UTC)


 * The legend is mentioned in Periya Puranam, a 12th century text. Maravarman Sundara Pandyan ruled in the 13th century. utcursch &#124; talk 20:56, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

Impalement of Jains is a recurring theme in Shaivism
Comments and discussion are welcome on this thread.

It is possible that the story of the impalement of 8000 Jain monks at the Jain center of Madurai in Tamil Nadu was a fabrication. It is also possible and likely that it was based on fact. Such accounts are abundant in Shaiva literature and some Tamil Shaiva temples still have the impalement iron rods on display. As can be seen in the literature, Jains were not the only victims but certainly the primary ones.

For example, the scriptures of the Virashaiva sect of Hinduism, also known as the Lingayatas, present some of the most violent rhetoric found in the literature of mankind. As devotees of the deity Shiva, the Virashaivas rapidly spread the Shaiva religion across southern India, often to the great detriment of other religious communities. Accounts of their exploits are recorded in Virashaiva scriptures such as the BASAVA PURANA which was dedicated to the founder of the movement, Basava (12th cent. AD). As can be seen in these stories, the Virashaivas especially coveted the cities and temples built by the Jains who were widespread and well-established in the region, and who were the primary targets for destruction by the Virashaivas. Forced conversion, ethnic cleansing, and genocide against the Jains are recurring themes in the Basava Purana: The Story of Iruttandi (from the BASAVA PURANA, ch. 6): "In Chellattiruvaluru there lived a devotee of Kama Killer called Iruttandi, who had been blind since birth.... Then Black Throat gave him eyes to see, AND HE SOUGHT OUT THE JAIN VASADIS [TEMPLES] AND DESTROYED THEM. FURTHERMORE, HE BLINDED ALL THE JAINS. By this means, Iruttandi demonstrated the power of our ganas." The Story of Pilla Nayanaru (from the BASAVA PURANA, ch. 6): "Then Pilla Nayanaru was happy to make the king a devotee [of Shiva]. AND THEY ROUNDED UP ALL 18,000 JAINS.  Meanwhile, Kulacchiriyaru HAD BEEN HEATING IRON SPEARS, AND HE NOW USED THEM TO IMPALE THE JAINS.  Have you not heard, O Jain, what happened in Tiruvuru?  That place is intimately associated with devotion.  This is the story that has been told before." The Story of Sankhyatonda (from the BASAVA PURANA, ch. 6): “In Shantamanga, in the Choda country, there was a man named Sankhyatonda who had been born to Buddhist parents but who had acquired wisdom and begun to oppose the Buddhists. Because of some merit acquired in an earlier life, he had retained a recollection of devotion to Shiva.... [He prayed to Shiva, saying] 'There is no way that I can wholeheartedly worship you here. UNTIL YOU DESTROY THE THREE ANTI-VEDIC TRADITIONS, JAIN, BUDDHIST, AND CHARVAKA, I am going to throw three stones at you three times a day. That is my vow.' And he proceeded to do as he promised.... The Shiva linga raised its hands to protect its head from the stone and smiled. 'I appreciate what you have done, and I am going to give you whatever you want as a boon,' [Shiva] said. At once, Sankhyatonda fell prostrate on the earth. 'O great linga, even Hari and Brahma are unable to know your beginning and end. O embodiment of the linga, though a person may search the Veda in a thousand ways, he will not find you.... May this stone become a stone flower, and may it appear on the side of your head in all your temples,' he requested. WITH THIS REQUEST, O JAIN, SANKHYATONDA DESTROYED ALL THE ANTI-VEDIC RELIGIONS."

-- BASAVA PURANA chapter 6, written by Palkuriki Somanatha, 12th century A.D., translated from Telugu (emphasis added) Source:  Rao, Velcheru Narayana. SIVA'S WARRIORS: THE BASAVA PURANA OF PALKURIKI SOMANATHA. Princeton University Press, 1990. 47.138.18.58 (talk) 01:00, 9 July 2023 (UTC)