At 11 km from Madurai you find this mass of rocks composed largely of granite.

One of the old archeologic rock temple caves here to be found at Samanar hill.
The inscriptions most probably in old tamil/Brahmi alphabets (thanks to Thangasivam for the info).
சமணர் குடகு or ‘cave-of-the-Jains’ dating 2nd or 1st Century B.C.

Revival of hinduism in South India, wrote a sorrowful page in history for buddhist & especially the Jains,
where a lot of them (8000 was mentioned) were mounted on "Kazhu" - a tall post with sharp end -
alive to die( many dubbed in "Voluntary" as in any religious cleaning ).
So many of the common men following the religion were mass converted or went on exile...

Every year there was a small offering organised in the Meenakshi Temple to remind this religious Hindu-purification.
A Tamil archaeologist will deny telling that this is based on rumours, not facts.
Jain people do not wish to talk about to preserve the renewed tolerance towards them.