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Getting
there: service / express busses takes approximately
one hour from the service bus stand at Nehru maidan in Mangalore.
Costs about Rs. 15-20 depending on the route taken by the
bus. Around 35 kilometers from Mangalore to Moodabidri,
taxis too will take you there. By taxi it cost about 300
- 350 Rs. for a round trip. Karkala on the other hand is
about 50 kilometers from Mangalore and the charges by taxi
are about 500-750.
Moodabidri,
sometimes described as the Varanasi of the jains, has 18
Jain basadis, although jains themselves are a minority population
in Dakshina Kannada district. This place consists mainly
of followers of the Digambar sect; the most famous among
them is the 1000 pillared Chandranatha Basadi popularly
known as "Savirakambha Basadi". The uniqueness is that no
two pillars are identical. The devotees under the directions
of the local ruler at that time - Devaraja Wodeyar of Nagamangala,
built this in 1430 A.D. Figures of giraffes and Chinese
dragons have been carved on sections of the Temple indicating
the trade with Africa and China by the Jain Merchants of
the time. The Temple is also called Hosa Basadi since the
relief of the Temple always appears as "Hosa" which means
new. This has a powerful presence in the center of the Moodabidri.
Three mandapas lead to the main sanctuary. These mandapas
have a series of sloping tiered roofs, adapted to the heavy
monsoon rainfall of the region. The main entrance, which
faces east, opens into a superb monolithic pillar (mana-stambha)
in front of the main doorway. The temple has a valuable
collection of metal, jewel carved images of Jain tirthankars.
The columns in Moodabidri are extraordinary typical of the
Chalukyan architecture. The 2 meter high panchaloha (5 metal)
image of Chandranatha stands out among images. Once a year
a grand Jain festival is celebrated where in thousands of
Jains take part with a lot of fervor. The Jain monastery
near the main temple entrance has a library with some beautiful
12th and 13th century palm leaf manuscripts. Booklets on
Moodabidri are available in English, Hindi and Kannada.
The 17th century Chowta Place, which is still occupied by
descendants of the royal family, is also worth visiting
for its beautifully carved wooden pillars, ceilings and
screen.
No
visitors are permitted into the sanctum sanctorum as indicated
by the signboard inside the Temple.
Temple
and Statue of Bahubali - Gomateshwara (The Calm Stone),
Karkala: Bahubali or the " one with strong shoulders"
was a local prince who fought his brother Bharata and won
the kingdom. Having done so, he gave it all up for meditation
and prayer. This went on for 12 long years and even the
surrounding creepers had grown around him. In his honour,
the ruler at that time Veerapandya Bhairava Raja built this
temple and statue. It was completed on 13.02.1432. The statue
is 42 feet 12.6 meters in height and was engraved from a
single stone at the foot of the hill on which the temple
stands. It was carried up the crest by a forty-wheeled vehicle.
In 1907, 212 steps (182 are continuous) were cut into the
rock face of the hill leading up to the Temple. A stone
pillar, Brahma Stambha, and holy stone or Kshetrapalaka
stand in front of the Temple as protectors. Two steps cut
into this holy stone commemorate a Jain Muni or holy man
who died during the building stage. A festival in Bahubali's
honour is held every 12 years and it is the Maha Masthakaabhisheka.
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