The Visit to this Jain Temple Complex at
Halebidu, in Karnataka, was a part of “Karnataka State, Hoysala Period Shiva
and temple’s visit”- between 28th - 30th July 2023, organised by தொண்டை மண்டல வரலாற்று ஆய்வு சங்கம் " திருக்கச்சி" FB
Group. Included in the tentative list of world Heritage site of UNESCO.
This walled complex
containing of three Jaina basadi / temples of the Hoysala period and a stepped
well. The basadis are located in close proximity to the Dorasamudhra lake. The
Parshvanatha Basadi, the Adinatha Basadi and the Shanthinatha Basadi are the three
Jaina shrines containing tall images of the Jaina Tirthankaras. The
Parshvanatha Basadi, is the largest of them also has niches for idols of the 24
thirthankaras or saints of Jainism.
PARSHVANATHA BASADI.
This temple had originally a Sanctum sanctorum / garbhagriha, an
open sukhanası ( later on provided with a doorway ) and a square navaranga mandapa. In front of the last and not
structurally connected with it, is the mukha mantapa. A small insignificant mahadvara
leads into the compound in which is first seen a star-shaped balıpitha /
balipeedam ( lotus-plan, with about 32 petals).
The mukha mantapa is a square structure, 17.5 feet high, with
the ceiling supported by 32 rounded lathe-turned pillars beautifully ornamented.
All round runs a stone bench, outside which is a slanting railed parapet with
sculptures on the panels. Two large soapstone
elephants support the entrance of the mukha mantapa.
Sculptured figures are now found on the railing which now exists
only to the south of the mukha mantapa, the rest being lost. The eastern panels
show a king in durbar with dancers and drummers. A servant goes to the queen,
salutes her and she dresses herself and is brought by force ( like Draupadi )
by the king's guards to the Court. The other panels show two ladies conversing
with a man holding a sword, a lady with a parrot and a Husband and his wife
conversing. These are evidently
installed in wrong place during reconstruction / restoration after the muslims
invasion.
The western slab also shows a king in durbar enjoying a dance, a
soldier and his lady with a parrot, and a lady at toilet. These appears to be
fragments referring to the early lives of the Tirthankaras.
The central square of the mukha mantapa is supported by four
thick and eight thin pillars, which are all finely ornamented with beaded work.
The central ceiling has a flat slab in the middle supported on three octagons
and a square. On the frieze of the central slab are in addition rows of
elephants, horses and footmen, and dancers.
On the north, there are two Jain scenes… (1) a king and a queen
seated, (2) five persons meeting together and all of them standing in water
half merged (Not identified). Another panel shows a Jaina seated with hands
raised, a kingly personage, ( perhaps an Arhant ), and a herd of deer looking
on ( Story to be identified ). In the
centre, however, is a divine personage described locally as Bhuvanendra Yaksha.
He is probably Parsvanatha as a Prince. His left hand is raised and the right hand
damaged. He has a seven-hooded cobra over his head and a princely person sits
in sukhasana at each of his feet, while the gods and Yakshas fly about near his
head. This group is identical with the one in the navaranga, where it is better
preserved.
Navaranga mandapa Ceiling
…..
The central ceiling is a beautiful structure with three octagons
and a square and flat top slab. Though
the lower surfaces have only mukha mantapa, yet it is very much finer and more
elaborate. On the vertical faces over the lower octagon are the eight Dikpalas
/ ashtadikpalakas, each with dancers and musicians in front and soldiers behind.
In the next higher octagon and the one above it and also on the inner faces of
the slabs of the squares there are the 24 Jain Tirthankaras, each seated in the
characteristic yogasana with a Yaksha to the light and the corresponding
goddess to the left, and with worshippers on each side. The top slab is
designed and carved identically with the one in the mukha mantapa but is, in
fact, more worthy of detailed study. The central deity holds a bow in the left
hand and a sankha in the right hand. In
the south- east corner of the navaranga, there is a large image of a Yaksha
with fat belly and dangling curved lips. His build is like that of a Ganesa with
a human head. His right hand holds a lotus and the left the matanga-phala. He
appears to be Dharanedhara-yaksha
Parsvanatha Image
The sukhanasi is entered between two large pillars and has an
image in the south-west corner of a Jain goddess holding flower buds in the right hand and fruit in the left. She is probably Kushmandini
/ Ambika Yakshini. A large plain doorway
with a Jain image on the lintel leads between diverging walls and two plain
round pillars to the garbhagriha / sanctum Sanctorum. Here stands a colossal image, about 14 feet
high, of the 23rd Tirthankara, Parsvanatha, with a seven-hooded
cobra over his head. The absolutely naked body of the deity is perfect
according to the Indian ideal of a Yogi. The hair is short and curly and
beautiful in its ringlets. The face has a benign sympathetic smile.
The neck has three folds. The shoulders are broad, the waist small and the
limbs well proportioned, rounded and tapering. On the right side of the god there is a male
deity standing with a three-hooded cobra above his head. On the left is a
goddess similarly standing with a similar cobra. Of her four hands one is
broken ( broken, goad, pasa and phala ). Both the gods wear the sacred thread /
yagnopaveetha, kiritas, makara-kundalas and other ornaments. The makara torana
with serpentine arch has the eight Dikpalas /ashtadikpalakas to the right and
left with drummers and musicians in other convolutions. Behind the god is the
serpentine body of the seven-hooded cobra supporting the image. The garbhagriha
/ sanctum sanctorum ceiling has a simple large padma medallion.
Dharanedhara-yaksha
HISTORY AND
INSCRIPTIONS
This Basadi was built by Boppa Deva son of Gangaraja and consecrated by pontiff
Nayakiritti Siddhanta Chakravarti, during the reign of Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana in
1133 CE. The construction and
consecration of the temple coincided with the victory of the ruler and the
birth of his son Narasimha-I, thereby the deity being named as Vijaya
Parshvanatha.
ADINATHA BASADI
The middle temple of Adinatha is a small one with a garbhagriha
/ sanctum sanctorum, an open sukhanası and a porch/ mukha mandapa. The porch is
typically Hoysala with its elephants, two round pillars, ornamented pot-stone
ceiling and a stone bench. The railings are missing. The navaranga doorway
which has the usual ornamental bands and pilasters has Jain figures on the
lintel with a lion on the pedestal. The navaranga has four square pillars with
sixteen-sided fluted shafts. There are two canopies against the south wall,
both of which have rounded Hoysala pillars and sikharas of the Hoysala type.
Under the east canopy on a base having a crescent moon is a beautiful Hoysala
image of Sarada with rosary, goad, pasa and pustaka. It has a smiling face and
is not correctly Padmavati. The image under the west canopy has disappeared. In
its place is now kept on a padma peeda a round panel containing the footprints
of some Tirthankara. The prints are of natural size, incuse and very natural
looking.
The Sanctum Sanctorum doorway has a plain but well designed
lintel of pure black stone ( rarely used ) with an inscription upon it. The
garbhagraha / sanctum Sanctorum has a fine pedestal with a lion seated in front
and other lions in the panels Against the back wall there is a fine double torana
with the eight Dikpalas in its convolutions. On each side of the pedestal is placed a
beautiful small potstone elephant brought in from elsewhere and kept here. On
the pedestal itself is engraved an inscription. The original image of Adinatha
which was seated here is now kept in the Santinatha Basadi, since it is
mutilated. A small standing image is now
worshipped in its place. The temple was built during Vishnuvardhana’s reign ( Belur
inscription 335).
HISTORY & INSCRIPTIONS
The inscription on the pedestal
and on the doorframe of the Sanctum Sanctorum suggests that the temple
was originally not of Adinatha, but that of Mallinatha. It also mentions that
it was Heggade Mallimayya disciple of Subhachandra Siddhantadeva constructed and
consecrated the image of Mallinatha.
SHANTINATHA BASADI
This is a plain structure equal in size to the Parsvanatha Basadi,
but it has instead of the mukha mantapa a very large porch of the Vijayanagar
period constructed out of roughly shaped old materials.
The
navaranga pillars are similar to those in the Parsvanatha Basadi but are not
ornamented, several portions being un-worked The ceiling consists of six plain
octagons placed over one another cornerwise with a square flat slab on top.
The
open sukhanası entrance has two plain round pillars and here is seated the
image of Adinatha with its head broken.
The
garbhagriha / sanctum sanctorum is a plain structure with two flights of steps
leading up to the back of the god, it has a plain octagonal ceiling placed corner
wise. The torana is of stone and is comparatively plain and coated with lime.
The image which 18 about 14 feet high is similar to that of Parsvanatha. On
either side of it are the usual male and female Yaksha and Yakshini.
On
the pedestal of the image is an inscription ( Belur 334 ). In the navaranga
against the east wall are two turrets with inscriptions consisting epitaphs of
Jain images
In
front of the temple there is a large pillar / manasthamba, about 20 feet high,
with a rounded shaft and a Yaksha in a shrine on the top.
HISTORY AND
INSCRIPTIONS
The inscription engraved on the pedestal of the Shantinatha
image dated to 1256 CE mentions the
construction of this Basadi during the reign of Hoysala king Narasimha.
COMMON
INSCRIPTIONS
Inscriptions
at Parshvanatha basadi (East to West) शिलालेख, पार्श्वनाथ बसदी First Inscription
This inscription dated to 954 CE belonging to the rule of
Butuga, the Ganga king records the setting up of a nisidi as Parokshavineya in
memory of Moni-bhatara, a disciple of Gunachandra-bhatara, who was himself the
disciple of Gunasagara bhatara of the Kondakundanvaya. It was caused by Kiriya
Moni-bhatara, the disciple of Abhayanandi-pandita. Further, it states that
Moni-bhatara received Kellangere from Ballapa, more by pleasing him than by
valour. The record was written by Sridharayya and engraved by Balluga, son of
Poleyammoja, the sculptor of the Basadi and dated to 954 CE during the rule of
Butuga, the Ganga king.
Second
Inscription
This inscription records the visit of King Narashima III on 26th
November 1254 CE to the Parsavanatha
Basadi. He made an offering to God Vijaya-Parsva and saw the epigraph installed
there which mentioned the genealogy of his family and the same was read over to
him. Then, having learnt that the enclosure built by Mayiduna Padmideva had fallen
into ruins since long, he got it repaired and made it over for the services of
God Vijaya-Parsvadeva for the prosperity of the kingdom.
Third
Inscription
This inscription dated 1638 CE, refers to the rule of
Venkatadri-nayaka, the Belur chief and registers an agreement entered between
the Saivas and Jaina community. The Saivas was headed by Basavappadeva of
Halebidu, Pattadadeva of Pushpagiri and others and the settis of the Jaina
community of Belura-rajya by Padmanna-setti, son of Devappa-setti of Hasana. A
dispute aroused between the two communities when Huchchappadeva stamped the
seal of linga on the pillars of the basadi of Vijaya-Parsvanatha and the same
was erased by Vijayappa. This dispute was settled and it was agreed that the
Jain community should be allowed to perform worship, decorations,
illuminations, ablutions and other Jaina ceremonies according to the
traditional custom in the Vijaya-Parsvanatha basadi. The inscription also
mentions that the mantri (minister) Krishnappayya, son of the mantri Kalappayya
played an effective role in the settlement of the dispute.
Fourth
Inscription
The inscription dated to 1133 CE records that Boppadeva, son of
Gangaraja, erected a jinalaya named Drohagharattajinalaya as parokshavinaya to
his father. It mentions that pontiff Nayakirtti-siddhantachakravartti,
consecrated God Parsvanatha and after consecration, the Nayakirtti took the
consecrated food (sesha) to Vishnuvardhana at Bankapura, where the king was
victorious against his enemies and also got the news of the birth of a son.
Thus, he was very much pleased when he met the pontiff and informed him that by
the grace of God Parsvanatha, he had obtained both a victory and a son and
named him Vijaya-Narasimhadeva. He made a grant of the village Javagallu in Asandi-nadu
to provide for offerings for the worship of God Vijaya Parshvanatha and the
twenty four Tirthankaras during three seasons and for providing food for the
ascetics and also for repairs of the basadi.
This inscription also records the genealogy of the Hoysala kings
up to Vishnuvardhana and enumerates his conquests. Further, it also contains
the praise of Gangaraja, the senior dandanayaka of Vishnuvardhana who renovated
innumerable basadis and bestowed grants and caused the Gangavadi-96,000 to
shine like Kopana, a Jaina centre.
Ref:
Display boards installed at the entrance of the temple.
HOW TO
REACH
This group of Jain Basadis are about 17 KM from Belur, 33 KM from
Hassan, 143 KM from Mysuru and 210 KM from Bangalore.
Nearest railway station is Hassan.
LOCATION OF
THE TEMPLE : CLICK HERE
--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---
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