MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and State Archaeology department, among others, on separate Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed to protect and maintain Jain beds in Madurai.
The litigant, G Thirumurugan of Ramanathapuram, the hill named Yanaimalai at Othakadai in Madurai was considered a sacred place by Jain monks and Tamil 'Brahmi' and 'Vatteluthu' inscriptions are found on the hill. Hence, these Jain beds have been declared as a protected monument by ASI, he added.
However, the Jain bed is not being maintained properly. Similar conditions prevail in the Jain beds in Ovamalai and Thiruvathavur hills in the district, he added, in another PIL filed the same day. A Bench of justices R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad issued notice and adjourned both cases.
Thirumurugan also filed another PIL to provide basic infrastructure, staff, and other facilities to safeguard paintings and other antiquities in Ramalingavilasam palace in Ramanathapuram. The palace was built between 1674-1710 CE by a Sethupathi king, he added. The judges issued notice to the State archaeology department and adjourned the case.