Adukkankal Jain Caves, Neganur Patti

Neganur Patti is a farming village about 6 km north-east of Gingee in Villupuram district. Its point of interest is Adukkankal, a hillock whose name means piled-up stones, after the way its boulders appear stacked one on another. Two caves at its base hold traces of stone beds thought to have been used by Jain monks, and a small pond lies beside one of them.

Just above the base is a Tamil-Brahmi inscription of the 4th century CE, found by the archaeologist S. Rajavelu in 1992. It records that Sekkanthanni, mother of Sekkanthi of Perumpogazh, made this abode; archaeologists take her to be a female Jain saint. The cave also holds rock paintings dated to about 1000 BC, drawn in white, probably with lime. They show only human figures and no animals, and some have faded too far to make out. Part of the cave floor has been broken up for construction work.