Jina Kanchi Jain Math, Melsithamur

The Jina Kanchi Jain Math at Melsithamur, near Gingee in Villupuram district, is the main religious centre of the Tamil Jain community and the seat of its head, Bhattaraka Laxmisena Swami. The Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram area has long been a Jain centre, and the math was moved here from Kanchipuram; tradition says Venkatappa Nayak (1570–1600) gave permission for the temple. In 1860 a Jain official, Baliah, took stone pieces from Gingee's Venkataramana Temple for it, among them great stone elephants now at the foot of the car stand.

The complex has two temples. The Parshvanatha temple rises behind a seven-storey rajagopuram over 70 ft high, with Tirthankaras carved on its walls, a 14 ft black Parshvanatha seated in padmasana, and a monolithic manastambha 52 ft tall. The Malinatha temple, also called Thiruvooram Palli, grew from a boulder carved with images of Bahubali, Parshvanatha, Adinatha, Mahavira and a yakshi, dated to the 7th–9th centuries.