A manastambha (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

for 'column of honour') is a pillar that is often constructed in front of

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s or large Jain statues. In

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Centr ...

, they are topped by four

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English language, English: literally a 'Ford (crossing), ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the ...

images. According to the ''Digambara''

Jain texts Jain literature (Sanskrit: जैन साहित्य) refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the c ...

like '' Adi Purana'' and ''Tiloyapannati'', a huge ''manastambha'' stands in front of the ''

samavasarana In Jainism, Samavasarana or Samosharana ("Refuge to All") is the divine preaching hall of the Tirthankara, stated to have more than 20,000 stairs in it. The word ''samavasarana'' is derived from two words, ''sama'', meaning general and ''avasar ...

'' (divine preaching hall) of the tirthankaras, which causes someone entering a ''samavasarana'' to shed their pride. A monolithic manastambha is a standard feature in the Jain temples of Moodabidri. They include a statue of

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

deva on the top as a guardian

yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...

Examples

Some of the well known Jain manastambhas are: * Kirti Stambha of Chittorgarh. The Vijaya Stambha was inspired by this. * Manastambhas of Devagarh * Manastambhas of Moodabidri * Manastambhas of

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola () is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage des ...

* Manastambha at

Shikharji Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara an ...

at Madhuvan Manastambhas in South India are generally

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

ic.

Photo gallery

File:Hutessing Temple3 Ahmedabad.JPG, Kirti Stambha of Hutheesing Jain Temple File:Temple_de_Shanthinath.jpg, Kirti Stambha at Chittorgarh fort File:MahaveeJi Stambh.jpg, Manastambha at Shri Mahavirji Temple,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

File:Maansthamb tijara jain temple.jpg, Manastambha at

Tijara Jain Temple Tijara Jain Temple is a digambar Jain temple dedicated to Chandraprabha. The temple is located in the hill town Tijara, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, India. It is an ''Atishaya Kshetra'' (English: Place where Miracles happen). It is from ...

File:Jain Temple -01 by Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP).jpg, Manastambha at Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP),

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

File:1000-Pillar-Temple-Moodbidri-Main-Pillar.jpg, Manastambha at Saavira Kambada Basadi, Moodbidri,

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

File:Desur_Digambar_Jain_Temple.jpg, Desur Jain temple and Manastambha at

Desur Desur is a Town panchayat in Tiruvanamalai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Geography Desur is located at . It has an average elevation of 114 metres (374 feet). Demographics India census, Desur had a population o ...

, Tiruvanamalai,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

File:Nasiyan Jain Temple - Full View.jpg, Manasthamba at Ajmer Jain temple File:Jain Temple, Chandni Chowk 01 (Friar's Balsam Flickr).jpg, Manastambha at Lal Mandir

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