This is thirtieth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. The ancient temples showcase sculptural work that is unmatched anywhere in the world.
A beautiful Shivalinga at Parasurameswara Temple in Bhubaneshwar, the unique feature is that there are several miniature Shivalinga carved on it. It is said t there are all together 1000 on them.
The external wall of the Jain Temples inside the Golden Fort at Jaisalmer has several beautiful sculptures carved on them.
One of the many carvings on the ceiling of Thousand Pillar Basadi at Moodabidri.
At A.S.I Museum in Shimoga there are several sculptures excavated from various locations in India. They are on display in the lawn of the museum.
At Moodbidri there are several Jain Basadi's built anytime between 14th and 16th century that are named based on their characteristics. One such basadi is Leppada Basadi named so as the idols of the basadi are made of clay. This basadi is located in close proximity to Kallu Basadi.
The temple is built using stone unlike the idols. In front of the temple is huge beautifully carved 45 feet Manasthambha erected upon a pedestal.
This manastamba is the x-factor of this basadi. When he had visited this place we could not see the interiors of he temple as it was closed.
At Moodbidri there are several Jain Basadi's built anytime between 14th and 16th century. One among them is Kallu Basadi. This temple is completely built of stone and hence the name Kallu Basadi.
The temple consist of sanctum, Sukanasi as the innermost area. It is surrounded by Namaskara Mantapa followed by Badhra Mantapa. The temple has double tiled sloppy roof.
In the sanctum the presiding deity is Sri Sheethala Natha Swami, cut in a rare variety of stone, its color being a blend of white and brown.
In front of the temple is finely carved Manastambha.
Thousand Pillar Basadi in Moodbidri is one of the most important Jain Temple in the area. The local Chieftain Devaraya Wodeyar initiated the construction of the this beautiful temple in 1430.
The construction of the temple completed in 31 years and it was built in phases. In the first phase sanctum was built with eight foot idol of Chandranath. As a result this temple is also known as the Chandranath Basadi. In the second phase magnificent prayer hall was built with its innumerable pillars.
Every pillar in this basadi is very unique and showcases the architectural excellence and grandeur.
The big and small pillars all together they are thousand and hence the name. Every pillar has unique figures carved on them.
In the last phase of construction was the erection of 60 foot monolith pillar, commissioned by Queen Nagala Devi.
Moodabidri is a town-municipality just 38 kms from Mangalore. It is nestled in nature’s beauty, surrounded by lush green paddy fields and natural water ponds.
It is regarded as sacred for Jains by virtue of its being a Jain center. As a result it is known as Jainkashi. It is a pilgrim center for the Jains not only because of several sacred Basadis, but more so because of the most sacred scriptures of Jainism, the Dhawalas found in their original form on palm leaves.
We were here in search of "Thosand Pillar Basadi". But we were pleasantly surprised to discover many more of heritage structures. There are 18 huge Basadis or temples here of which some I have visited:
- Guru Basadi
- Thousand Pillar Basadi
- Badga Basadi
- Settara Basadi
- Ammanavara Basadi
- Betkeri Basadi
- Koti Basadi
- Vikrama Setty Basadi
- Kallu Basadi
- Leppada Basadi
- Deramma Setty Basadi
- Chola Setty Basadi
- Mahadeva Setty Basadi
- Bykanathikari Basadi
- Kere Basadi
- Padu Basadi
- Shri Jain Math Basadi
- Jaim Pathshala Basadi
The nearby places of interest are:
