Moodabidri and Karkala
The Thousand-Pillared Basadis and Bahubali of Tulu Nadu
Moodabidri (celebrated as the Jain Kashi of the South) and Karkala in coastal Karnataka preserve unparalleled Jain heritage, including the 15th-century Thousand-Pillared Saavira Kambada Basadi and the towering 42-foot monolithic Bahubali colossus consecrated in 1432 CE.
The Jain Kashi of the South
Surrounded by lush coconut palm groves and the Western Ghats, Moodabidri earned the title of Jain Kashi due to its concentration of eighteen historic stone Basadis (Jain temples) and its sacred guardianship of the ancient Dhavala palm-leaf manuscripts.
Just a few miles away, Karkala crowns the region with a monumental 42-foot monolithic statue of Bhagwan Bahubali erected atop a rocky hill in 1432 CE by King Veera Pandya Bhairarasa.
Key Sacred Monuments of Moodabidri and Karkala
Custodianship of the Sacred Dhavala Texts
Moodabidri is revered throughout the Jain world for protecting the most sacred canonical commentaries:
- •When northern centers faced invasions in the medieval era, monk scholars carried the ancient Prakrit Dhavala palm leaves to Moodabidri for safekeeping.
- •The texts were preserved under copper sheets and natural insect repellents for nearly a millennium until translated in the 20th century.
- •Pilgrims revere these scriptures as the living voice of Bhagwan Mahavira's direct disciples (Gandharas).
Sacred Prakrit Mangalacharana
The immortal opening of the Shatkhandagama preserved at Moodabidri:
Namo Jinanam
Jidabhayanam
Bow to the victorious Jinas,
Who have completely conquered fear, desire, and delusion.
ඔබ දැන සිටියාද?
Scriptural Source
The Dhavala manuscripts preserved at Moodabidri comment on the Shatkhandagama, chapter 1 of its first khanda, the only surviving canonical Digambara scripture, composed in Prakrit by Acharyas Pushpadanta and Bhutabali.
A Shared Origin with the Navkar Mantra
Tradition holds that Pushpadanta composed the Navkar Mantra's five-line core as the Mangalacharana to the Shatkhandagama, linking Moodabidri's manuscripts directly to Jainism's most recited prayer.
Preservation of Dhavala Manuscripts
Moodabidri is the only place in India where the complete original palm-leaf copies of the ancient Digambara scriptures, Dhavala and Jayadhavala, survived intact.
Every Pillar is Unique
In the Saavira Kambada Basadi, all 1,000 pillars are carved with distinct granite motifs; no two pillars repeat the same design.
Twelve-Year Mahamastakabhisheka
Like Shravanabelagola, the 42-foot Karkala Gommateshwara statue undergoes a grand Mahamastakabhisheka festival every 12 years.
Mahavira
ජෛන ධර්මය වෙතින් තවත්
සම්බන්ධිත ඉගැන්වීම්
එකම ඉගැන්වීම, විවිධ සම්ප්රදායන් හරහා ප්රතිධ්වනිත වේ