Tucked away in the folds of the quaint and sleepy town of Moodbidri, widely known as Jain Kashi, are a plethora of Jain temples or basadis, 38 km away from the coast of Mangaluru. The period between the 14th and 16th centuries witnessed feverish temple-building activity in the area when Jainism predominated. Of the several basadis that dot the townscape, the 1000-pillar basadi takes pride of place.
A nondescript narrow lane forks from the highway and comes to a halt, bang in font of this centuries’ old temple. Ascend a small flight of steps and you come upon a huge courtyard in the midst of which stands a structure in all grandeur. The temple is variously known as Hosa Basadi for having an eternally new look, as Savira Kambada Basadi for the 1000 pillars it has, and as Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi - the crest jewel of the three worlds, and also because it dazzles like the vermilion mark on a woman’s forehead.
The largest shrine of its kind in coastal Karnataka, it is also deemed to be the most ornate of them all in the region. The three-storeyed granite edifice, the construction of which began in 1430, progressed through three stages and took 32 years to build. The 9-foot idol of Chandranatha, the 8th Tirthankara, made of panchaloha or five metals, adorns the sanctum sanctorum, which was the first phase of the building.
The most stunning feature of the temple, the open pillared hall leading to the sanctum, formed the second facet. The roof and pillars of the hall carry a wealth of embellishments in the form of intricately carved sculptures, typical of the Vijayanagar style. The final phase of construction involved the building of the awe-inspiring 50-foot-tall freestanding monolith, the Manasthambha in front of the basadi.
Two of its three storeys are crafted from wood while the lowest is built of granite. A pair of stone elephants greets us at the entrance to the temple hall which is held aloft by several pillars, no two of which are identically ornamented. The exquisite carvings, attention to minute details and the geometric accuracy of lines bear testimony to the high degree of skill, expertise and aesthetics of the craftsmen of the times.
Seven segmentsThe temple is divided into seven segments that include Manasthambha, Bhairadevi, Gaddige, Namaskara, Theerthankara and Lakshmi Mantapa and the sanctum sanctorum. The temple walls carry inscriptions narrating its construction. The ground floor houses the sanctum, the Bhairadevi Mantapa and Manasthamba, the second floor contains the images of Thirthankaras.
Another significant feature of the temple is the mosaic flooring of the pillared hall, mosaic for which was sourced from Italy, 600 years ago when the temple was built! If on the one hand the temple contains images of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras, Yakshas and Yakshis, history and culture also come alive on its pillars.
The pillar carvings portray the daily lives of people, musicians, dancers, caparisoned elephants and testify to the trade that was carried on with far away countries including those in Africa.
