Kanakagiri Jain tirth kshetra also known as Kanakadri and Hemantha Desha is situated at about 3 km from Maleyuru, Chamarajanagar district, 53 km from the

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

city and 182 km from Bengaluru.

History

It is one of the important

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

pilgrim centres of

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 ''Karnat ...

known in ancient times as Hemanga Desha. It is believed that Jain saint Achrya Pujyapada established a monastery here in 5th century. The scriptures in Kanakagiri mentions that Mahavira visited this area and held a ''Samavasharan Divya Sabha'' (a meeting). Kanakgiri houses stone inscriptions dating to period of Western Ganga,

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bell ...

and

Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the southern Indian Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. In title, the role has been known by differen ...

. The Parshvanatha temple was built by the kings of the

Western Ganga dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (m ...

in the 5th or 6th century. Kings of later dynasties such as the

and Wadiyar also patronised this temple. It is believed that one king worshipped Bhagwan Parshwanatha here before proceeding to a war in which he was victorious and hence he named the deity, ''Vijaya Parshwanatha''. According to inscription dated 909 CE, the temple was an important Jain center and mentions temple receiving grants under the leadership of Bhattaraka Kanakasena. A inscription dating back to 916 CE refers to construction of a Jain temple by Western Ganga King Nitimarga. During the reign of Hoysalas, more Jain images both rock cut and structural were added.

About Temple

The main temple on the 350 steps hillock is enclosed in a fort, has four main parts, namely, the mukhamantapa, the navaranga, the sukhanasi and the

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the '' murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ' ...

. This temple enshrines idols of five main deities together –

Parshwanatha ''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...

, Padmavati,

Jwalamalini Jwalamalini or ( sa, ज्वालामालिनी, kan, ಜ್ವಾಲಾಮಾಲಿನೀ) is the Yakshini (guardian spirit) of the Eighth Tirthankara, Shri Bhagwan Chandraprabhu in Jainism and was one of the most widely invoked Yak ...

, Kushmandini, and Kshetrapala Bramha Yaksha. The garbhagriha houses Bhagwan Parshwanatha while the sukhanasi houses the rest. There are 3 temples and tonks of 24 ''tirthankar''. This temple also includes an 18-feet monolithic idol of

Bahubali Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...

. Kanakagiri is the only Jain temple where ''Kalasarpadosha parihara puja'' is performed. According to legends, Queen Deverammanni of Mysore royal family once suffered from kalasarpadosha and found relief on worshiping the Goddesses here. So, she gave the temple a unique idol of the hood of snake bearing Dharanendra and Padmavathi figures. The idol is currently placed in the sukhanasi. There are 24 ''charan'' (foot prints) of the 24

Tirthankaras In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' ( Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pas ...

near the temple complex. There are caves on the hill where Jain saints once meditated. There is a Jain Mutt at the foot of the hill under the patronage of Swasthi Shree Bhuvanakeerthi Bhattaraka Swamiji.

Athishaya Mahotsava 2017

The Jain committee had organised the Athishaya Mahothsava at Kanakagiri from January 16 to 5 February 2017. The first Mahamastakabhisheka and Sarvadharma Samavesha of 18-feet statue of

was performed on Feb, 2017.

Gallery

File:First Mahamastakabhisheka of Kanakagiri Bahubali.jpg, Mahamastakabhisheka of 18-feet statue of

File:Adinatha in one of the temples on Kanakagiri.jpg, Adinath Idol in Old temple ruins File:Jaina Temple ruins on Kanakagiri.jpg, Old temple ruins

Nearby places

There are many Jain temples nearby. Mainly temples are: * Adinatha Swamy Basadi, Maleyuru * Adinatha Basadi at Harave,

Hunsur Hunsur is a city in Mysore district in the States and territories of India, Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Hunsur Taluk administrative division. Geography Hunsur is located at . Hunsur is situated on the western sid ...

Citations

Sources

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External links

* {{Authority control 5th-century Jain temples Cities and towns in Chamarajanagar district Holy cities Jain pilgrimage sites Jain rock-cut architecture Jain temples in Karnataka Tourism in Karnataka