PONNUR
Main Deity- Idol of Bhagawan Adinatha.
History- Here the Adinatha temple is erected on a low
mound known as Kanagagiri. This is also known by other names such as Svarnapura,
Hemagrama, Kundakunadagrama, during its long history. The temple has numerous
icons representing Tirthankaras, yaksha and yakshi. An inscription dated
on the 17th of Vaisaka in Salivahana 1655, and the Kali year of 4834, which
corresponds to 1733 A.D., is incised on the rear side of the prabhavali of the
Parsvanatha image, and records this icon as a gift to the Adinatha temple by
Anantasena, a disciple of Virasenadeva of the Senagana.
Another epigraph from the same temple mentions that in the same year, the
residents of Svarnapura made arrangements to take out -the images of Parsvanatha
and Jwalamalini yakshi from the Adinatha temple in a procession to
Nilagiriparvata, situated in the north-west of the temple, for the weekly
worship of HelacaIya every Sunday. Nilagiriparvata is the Ponnur hill,
about three kilometers away from the temple, where the sacred footprints of
Helacarya are carved into the surface of an exposed rock. Helacarya was a
renowned monk of the Dravidasangha who is said to have attained liberation at
Nilagiriparvata. The hill itself is considered to be the habitat of the goddess
Jwalamalini who is stated to have bestowed grace upon Helacarya. As her cult is
extremely popular in this region, the yaksi occupies a prominent position in the
Adinatha Temple. A separate shrine is built for her in the temple, and special
pujas are performed daily for the deity. As mentioned above, the inscription
clearly affirms the procession and the worship of the footprints of Helacarya,
and states that this practice commenced in the year 1733 C.E. However, it was
apparently discontinued in recent years after the establishment of Kundakunda
ashrama in this location.
Guidance- Ponnur is a reputed Jain centre situated about fifteen kilometres from Wandiwash in the North Arcot district.