Kere Basadi

Kere Basadi (meaning: Lake temple) or Chaturmukha Basadi is a Jain temple located in Varanga village in Udupi district of Karnataka, India. This 12th-century temple is situated amidst of a lake giving it the name Kere Basadi (lake temple).Template:Efn The temple is also known Chaturmukha Basadi as it houses a chaturmukha (four-faced) idol of tirthankaras. The temple is situated 26 km from Karkala, another popular Jain centre.

History

The temple dates back to 850 years back.Template:Sfn The Sripurana, found Jain matha at Varanga,Template:Sfn is one of the famous 8th century work by Jain tamils.Template:Sfn The Jain Matha is an offshoot of the Humcha Jain Matha. This matha is said to have been a segment of Mula Kundakundanvaya Kranurgana's Mesha Pashana Gaccha.Template:Sfn According to an inscription found in Neminath Basadi, dating back to 1424 CE, King Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire visited the temple and granted land for operation.Template:Sfn The inscription also mentions a Jain Matha existence before installation of the inscription.Template:Sfn The matha is estimated to date back to Template:Circa. There is an inscription dating 1515 CE and 1522 CE mentioning of grants sanctioned by a Jain businessman and Chenna Bhairava respectively.Template:Sfn

About temple

Kere Basadi is a 12th-century temple, considered to be unique for being situated in the middle of a lake.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The mulnayak of the temple is Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara. The temple is built in chaturmukha style, having four entranceTemplate:Sfn and a chaturmukha idol with images of Parshvanatha, Neminatha, Shantinatha, and Anantanatha representing the four cardinal direction.Template:Sfn The temple also houses an idol of Padmavati.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn According to beliefs, performing puja (praying) here brings prosperity. There is also a ritual for people to visit the shrine before marriage. As per popular belief, the falling of flower from the right side of the idol is a blessing.Template:Sfn One has to take a boat to reach the temple. Anekere village of Hassan district has a replica of this shrine erected in the 15th century.Template:Fact

Other temples

Neminatha Basadi is a stone temple built in 9th century. The shrine is Template:Convert in dimensions with a thatched roof. The temple has an ornate torana housing an image of seated tirthankar.Template:Sfn The temple houses an 5 feet black-colored idol of Neminatha in padmasan postureTemplate:Sfn as the mulnayak deity of the temple.Template:Sfn Temple also houses a bronze idol of Mahavira, Ambika, and Padmavati. A small shrine dedicated to Kshetrapala exists in the temple premises. The shrine features a 45 feet tall monolithic manastambha built in the 12th century.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

The Kathale Basadi, Mathada Basadi, and Chandranath Basadi are other important temples in the region dating back 1,000 years.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In popular culture

The temple was featured in Mugulu Nage song Kere Yeri.

Festivals

The rathotsava (chariot festival) is the primary festival of this temple, and a five-day event is organized annually in February. Buta Kola is organised to celebrate Navaratri, Dusshera, Diwali. On Vijayadashami, Ratha Yatra with an idol of Padmavathi Devi is organized to commemorate the procession of King Deva Raya II during Vijayadashami.Template:Sfn

Gallery

• 
  Replica of Kere Basadi at Anekere built in 16th century
• 
  Watercolor Painting of Kere Basadi, Varanga.

See also

• Karkala
• Shravanabelagola
• Jainism in Karnataka

References

Sources

Book

• Akashvani{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. All India Radio(1983)
• Language in South Asia{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Cambridge University Press(2008). ISBN 9781139465502
• New Imperial Series{{#if:Sewell|, Sewell}. E. Keys at the Government Press(1882)
• Lists of Inscriptions, and Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India{{#if:Sewell|, Sewell}. E. Keys at the Government Press(1884)
• Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana: Jaina iconography{{#if:Shah|, Shah}. Abhinav Publications(1987). ISBN 978-81-7017-208-6
• Jainism: A Pictorial Guide to the Religion of Non-Violence{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Motilal Banarsidass(1998). ISBN 978-81-208-1534-6
• Reading History with the Tamil Jainas: A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation{{#if:Umamaheshwari|, Umamaheshwari}. Springer Publishing(2018). ISBN 9788132237563

Web

• It's a whole new world. Deccan Herald(2019-08-06). Retrieved 2020-03-07.
• Lesser-known tourist spots of Udupi in focus. The Hindu(2017-10-21). Retrieved 2020-03-07.
• A mid-lake spiritual wonder. Deccan Herald(2014-06-23). Retrieved 2020-03-07.
• Basadis are testimony to rich. Deccan Herald(2010-01-10). Retrieved 2020-05-09.
• Altruism speaks from the grand pavilions. Deccan Herald(2019-02-24). Retrieved 2020-12-18.
• Udupi unplugged. Business Line(14 May 2021). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
• Discover India: The Floating Temple of Karnataka. DD News(11 December 2023). Retrieved 12 December 2023.