400 year old Jain Temple

Mangalore, my hometown, in Southern India is a beautiful city that is flaked with everything for everyone. Temples, churches, parks, beaches and what not. The outskirts of the city has many small towns that are famous for reasons. One such town is Moodabidri that has hundreds of tiny Jain temples that are called 'basadi's'.

My dad, a banker by profession, had his stint in this small town during his initial days. My brother @shenoy was born at Moodabidri and that makes it a memorable place for us. We often make a trip to this town to relive the memories and also to meet our friends and relatives who are still there.

While we drive through this town, we stop at places that we find interesting. These ancient Jain temples attract Jain pilgrims from various parts of the country. One temple that I have been visiting since my childhood is the famous 'Thousand Pillar Temple' located in the heart of the city, this ancient temples had 1000 or can say more pillars that are aligned at equal distance from each other. Green surroundings and innumerable stone pillars make this temple a hot favourite among tourists who visit Mangalore.


There is this small Jain temple that I happened to visit for the first time. Named 'Kallu Basadi' in Kannada (local language) which literally translates to 'Stone Temple' is a small temple that is made entirely of stone. Caretakers there told me that the temple is around 400 years old and is the only one in the country that has the idol of Shri Swami Adinath with shoulder length hair. No other Swami Adinath idol in India has shoulder length hair.

Though I didn't check the authenticity of the caretakers claim, I found the idol absolutely a master piece. The curves and detailing are amazing. I wonder if there are any sculptors who could match the detailing that this idol has.

The town is also famed for it's sugary sweet pineapples that are farmed at a local nursery. I was late so couldn't get my hands on those pineapples. 🤤