Travel Spotlight - Dakshina Kannada/Udupi Part 1 - Moodabidri

It was a misty Saturday morning as we headed out of our guest house in what was to be our pioneering trip to explore life, culture, history and the natural settings of the Dakshina Kannada and neighboring districts. The blanket of fog held the rays of sun at bay, as we headed for our first stop of the day - Moodabidri.

We took the National Highway 13 to get to Moodabidri, on the way we passed the beautiful Gurupur River and the sight of a lone canoe emerging of the mist will remain one of the few natural paintings that will remain etched in my mental canvas forever. We rose over the hills as we moved through the serpentine NH 13 and soon found ourselves over the crowd.
As a result of our mental memory cards started running out of space a photo break ensued. We stopped at a crest in the sine wave like highway lined with the pink flowers of touch-me-not shrubs where we got a fairly decent view of the valley but not as spectacular as some we can captured with just our eyes. A few clicks later we were off, towards Moodabidri.
The town of Moodabidri in Dakshina Canara district is predominantly a Jain center. The Jain religion or Jainism as it is also called, had beginnings similar to that of Buddhism and was founded in the 6th century BCE by Bhagwan Mahavira. Jainism originated in the area near the modern state of Bihar and that is just one of the similarities Jainism has with Buddhism. The main tenets of Jainism law down the need for respective life in all forms and the need to tread the path of non-violence. However while Buddhism spread across the world presumably due to Asoka and the expansive empire he had, Jainism remained limited to India and mainly though not entirely to the north. In the south, the present state of Karnataka has a number of Jain centers, with many being in the district if Dakshina Kannada. We were here at Moodabidri to visit the famous 1000 Pillared Basadi (or the 1000 pillared temple) at 8:30 AM and after a quick breakfast of idly vada we headed into the temple.

We entered the Basadi and were immediately impressed by this style of architecture, which is different than the Chalukya and Hoysala styles found in other parts of the state of Karnataka. We took out our cameras ready to click away and a gentleman directed out attention to a board which indicated that photography was prohibited, he however mentioned that we could take pictures if we made a donation of Rs 100/- towards the renovation of the temple. We said a rule was a rule and didn't understand how making a donation could help waive an unrelated rule - we put our cameras into the bag and switched on the cameras in out mind.
The 1000 pillared Basadi has 3 levels with each level having an inner sanctum with an idol of a Jain tirthankara. A note to the visitors, the passageways to reach the upper levels are narrow and step, so please exercise caution if you have trouble climbing, breathing and if you are claustrophobic. The floors in the upper levels are coated with red oxide which gives an ambiance of a mid 20th century mansion in south India. The 1000 pillared basadi is named so because of the several pillars that are a part of the architecture of this temple. I circumambulated the temple and found more pillars, however I also noticed that the grass in the temple lawns were about a foot and a half tall. I recommend a visit to this site to our readers for its unique architecture. Since Moodabidri lies on a major highway on can plan a 30 minute visit to this location while en route to Sringeri/Kudremuhk/Karkala/Agumbe.
As we headed out of the temple a friend popped a question about how a Jain temple came to be at a place far south as Moodabidri. Having a keen interest in history and having spent the last few days in the company of Romila Thapar, the answer was not difficult to come. Jainism had spread to the southern part of India mainly among the trading community due to the increasing influence wielded by the Brahmins and Kshatriyas, many from the mercantile community converted to Jainism as it provided them with a sense of empowerment they could not find being Hindus. Jainism grew in what are now the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, however the rise of the bhakti movement saw many in Tamil Nadu converting back to Hinduism and embracing wither vaishnavism or shaivism. The Jains though have a significant presence in Karnataka and places like Sharavanabelagola in Hassan district and Karkala in Udupi district see a huge turn out of faithfuls during the grand Mahamastakabhisheka ceremony that happens every 12 years. We headed next to Karkala which has a 42 ft monolithic statues of Gomateshwara who is considered an epitome of Jain tenets because of the supreme sacrifice he made.