Moodbidri: The Thousand Pillar Temple

In the coastal region of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka lies the town of Moodbidri, one of the great centres of Digambara Jainism in the south, sometimes called the Jain Kashi for its wealth of temples and its importance to the tradition. The most celebrated of its many basadis is the Saavira Kambada Basadi, the Temple of a Thousand Pillars, a masterpiece of Jain architecture whose forest of intricately carved columns has drawn admiration for centuries.

The Thousand Pillar Temple, dedicated to Chandraprabha, the eighth Tirthankara, was built in the fifteenth century and is renowned for the profusion and variety of its carved pillars, of which, as the name suggests, there are said to be a thousand, and among which, in the manner of the greatest Jain temples, no two are exactly alike. The columns support a series of richly ornamented halls, and the whole structure is a triumph of the local architectural tradition, combining the distinctive sloping roofs suited to the heavy coastal rains with the elaborate carving characteristic of Jain sacred building.

The temple's carving encompasses a vast range of figures and motifs, including scenes from Jain narrative, images of the Tirthankaras and their attendants, and a wealth of decorative detail, and the varied pillars are a particular delight, each carved with its own patterns and figures. The temple also possesses a notable manastambha, the free-standing pillar characteristic of Jain sites, and its overall effect is of extraordinary richness and craftsmanship.

Moodbidri is home to many other basadis besides the Thousand Pillar Temple, and the town as a whole is a treasure house of Digambara heritage, with temples spanning several centuries and preserving images, inscriptions and religious traditions of great importance. The town is also famous for its collection of ancient Jain manuscripts, including palm-leaf texts of great antiquity and value, preserved by the community as a precious record of the tradition's learning and scripture.

The distinctive architecture of the Moodbidri temples, with their tiered roofs and their blend of stone and timber suited to the coastal climate, gives them a character all their own, different from the temples of the drier interior, and reflecting the local building traditions of the Karnataka coast. This regional flavour makes the Jain heritage of Moodbidri especially interesting, and the town is a place where the tradition has developed its own distinctive forms.

For the pilgrim and the student of art and history alike, Moodbidri offers a rich and rewarding experience, from the splendour of the Thousand Pillar Temple to the many other basadis, the ancient manuscripts, and the living religious life of one of the great Digambara centres of the south. The town's continuing importance to the tradition is matched by the beauty and antiquity of its monuments.

Moodbidri lies in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka and is reached by road, with the coastal city of Mangaluru serving as the nearest major transport centre, connected by air, rail and road to the rest of India. The site can be visited through the year, though the cooler and drier months outside the heavy monsoon are the most comfortable in the coastal climate.

For the Digambara pilgrim, Moodbidri is a place of deep sanctity and great beauty, where the Thousand Pillar Temple rises in carved splendour amid a town rich in temples and manuscripts, preserving the heritage of one of the most important centres of Jainism on the Karnataka coast.