| SIGHTSEEING HIGHLIGHTS
Amongst the 18 Basadi, the most famous are Ammanavara Basadi, Guru Basadi and Tribhuvan Tilak Chudamani Basadi. While the magnificent stucco images in Leppada Basadi are a must see, do not miss the Parshawanatha stone idol in the Guru Basadi. The rare Jain palm leaf manuscripts, also famous as 'Dhavala texts' are preserved in this Basadi.
Tribhuvan Tilak Chudamani Basadi or the Thousand Pillar Temple is ornately carved in the Vijayanagar style and is the largest amongst all. The beautiful bronze image of Lord Chandranatha Swami in the sanctum is considered to be sacred. You can also go and see the rare Jain Nishidis, a unique burial site of Jain Swamis.
Apart from the ancient Jain temples, Moodabidri has some of the oldest Hindu temples like Gowri temple of the 9th century and the Temple at Kanthavara, built in the 7th century.
Other activities:
Hiking and trekking in the forests are another major attraction in this peaceful temple town. Ahead on the Naravi road, you can visit the huge granite monolith known as Konaje Kallu, which is perfect place to hike and explore the forest area. Moodabidri is a quaint temple town, better known as the 'Jain Kashi', in Mangalore district of Karnataka. It is one of the major centers of Jainism in South India
and has a concentration of Jain Basadi or temples. As an ancient Jain
center of learning, 18 Jain temples were built between the 14th to the
16th century. They are adorned with exquisite images of Yakshas,
Yakshinis and Jain Trirthankaras. It hosts thousands of followers of
Jainism, when the grand Jain festival takes place every year. Apart
from being a pilgrimage centre, Moodabidri is also growing as a tourism
destination. |
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