Parshvanatha Basadi or Kamatha Parshvanatha Basadi is a Jain

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

(basadi) located on

Chandragiri Hill Chandragiri is one of the two hills in Shravanabelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka, the other one being Vindhyagiri. It is also designated as Indragiri. History The recorded history surrounding the hill started in 300 BC when last '' ...

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) 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 ...

, a town in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, India.

History

The Parshvanatha Basadi was built in the 11th–12th century CE according to an inscription found on a temple pillar. The ''

manastambha In Jainism, a ''manastambha'' () is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples or large Jain statues. In North India, they are topped by four Tirthankara images. According to the ''Digambara'' Jain texts like '' Adi Purana'' ...

'' pillar in front of the temple was erected by Puttayya during the reign of

Chikka Devaraja Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar II (22 September 1645 – 16 November 1704) was the fourteenth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1673 to 1704. During this time, Mysore saw further significant expansion after his predecessors. During his rule, cent ...

(1645–1704 CE) of the

Mysore Kingdom The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in South India, southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted su ...

The temple

The loft temple plan consists of a ''

garbhagraha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or "sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for w ...

'' (inner sanctum), a shallow '' sukanasa'' (entrance ornament), a large pillared ''

mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

'' (pavilion), and a cornered porch. The temple stands on a high plinth of five moldings. The temple's ''mulnayak'', the idol of Parshva, is an monolithic idol standing over a lotus pedestal in the ''

kayotsarga Kayotsarga ( , ) is a yogic posture which is an important part of the Jain meditation. It literally means "dismissing the body". A tirthankara is represented either seated in yoga posture or standing in the kayotsarga posture. ''Kayotsarga' ...

'' posture and a hood of seven-headed serpents overhead. The idol has been noted as a fine example of craftsmanship with detailed carving of the hood and a sculptured lotus pedestal. The ''manastambha'' is a tall pillar. The pillar has a square base and is adorned with Jain images. The top of the pillar depicts a ''chaturmukha'' (four-faced) idol of Padmavati, four-armed

Yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology 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 Hindu, Jain and Bud ...

, Kushmandini and

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

riding on a horse. Parshvanatha basadi is considered the most important in the Jain temple complex of

for its architecture. This temple is one of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

's ''Adarsh Smarak Monument'' along with other temples in the Shravanabelagola group of monuments.

Photo gallery

File:Statue in the inner sanctum in the Parsvanatha Basadi at Shravanabelgola.jpg, Parshvanatha statue File:Profile of lathe turned pillars in Parsvanatha Basadi at Shravanabelgola.jpg, Lathe-turned pillar

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

* {{Authority control Jain temples in Karnataka 11th-century Jain temples Hassan district