Ruchika LIAR is exposed by her OWN sources & scholars: 1. No Jain record of so called 7th c. impalement of Jains by Shaivas in TN exists 2. No inscription of such event exists 3. Shiva shrine in cave monastery was constructed 300 years later & REOCCUPIED as a Jain monastery again
Literary reference to this alleged incident come from 11th c. 400+ years later. Sambandar the so called persecutor himself does not mention it at all. Also there are several versions of the story, some of which say the Jaina monks impaled themselves because they lost a debate.
Moreover murals depicting the fictional impalement were made 1000 years later in 17th c. The myth was invented as hagiography to show supremacy of Shaivism. Such hagiography was common in TN with similar legends of a Jaina king of Kanchi doing the same treatment to Buddhists.
Plenty of evidence clearly shows that Jainas thrived during & after the time of the so called persecution. Her own source clearly elaborates that the Jaina monastery was reoccupied & Tamil royalty continued to patronize Jainism. Jain literary works continued to be created too.
Finally Choļa kings continued to not just tolerate but patronize Jain temples even during 11th c. Famous Choļa queen Kundavai, elder sister of Rājarāja I built Jain temples at Dādāpuram & Tirumalai during the later part of 10th c.- 400 yrs after this myth of impalement.
It has become abundantly clear that this so called JNU "scholar" is hell bent on embellishing & disseminating falsified distortions of history for the express purpose of demonizing Hindus & creating divides between Hindus, Jains & Buddhists. Please be aware & spread the word.
References: Paul Dundas, The Jains, 2002 Oliver Freiberger (2006). Asceticism and Its Critics: Historical Accounts and Comparative Perspectives. Oxford University Press. Ashim Kumar Roy, A History of the Jains, 1984