This is the second day of my trip to coastal Karnataka blog. Do read the first blog post before reading this part.
First day post: Coastal Karnataka trip Day 1 – Panambur beach, MangaloreA new day arrived and we woke up at 9am in the morning, were ready in an hour. We packed and checked out the hotel followed by a breakfast at a local restaurant nearby. Moodbidri is famous for its educational institutes. The restaurants here not only serve delicious Udupi style food but also charge very less to help students in this area. We ordered all varieties of Dosa and Vadapav. The dosas were aptly oiled and tasted heavenly. We grubbed the dosas like these were the last and there was no tomorrow. Delicious start for the day!
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| Best of the beast: Majestic view of Saavira Kambada Basadi |
Apart from being an education oriented city, Moodbidri is a home for Jains and is renowned as the Jain temple town as it has some fascinating stories of a rich cultural past embedded in its eighteen temples. We chose to visit the famous one called Saavira Kambada Basadi or as it is called in English as – Thousand Pillar Temple, which was just 3 km from our stay.
Saavira Kambada Basadi: Even though Moodbidri is just 35 km from Mangalore, you can see a drastic difference in the climate. Most of the houses have clay roof tiles which look iconic and distinctive. The rustic look of the houses made me dream about living in one. There was one of such beautiful house just beside the Jain temple. We didn’t miss to pull a dope photo in front of it.
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| The beautiful vintage vibes of coastal homes. |
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| Our first stop of the day was Saavira Kambada Basidi |
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| Beautiful Mahavir statue near the temple |
Brief about the place: The 15th-century temple is a treasure house of art and architecture. The 8ft tall bronze idol of 8th Tirthankara of Jains, Lord Chandranatha Swami in the sanctum of Saavirakambada Basadi is said to be the most sacred and carved to perfection. The temple was constructed over a painstaking period of 31 years. The intricate carvings and geometrically accurate lines speak of craftsmen whose skills can dumbfound today’s machines in the blink of an eye.
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| The clay rooftops are the iconic structure in this part of the state |
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| Maana sthambha is a 60-foot monolithic pillar (left pillar) and beside that is the dhvaja sthambha |
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| The temple looks absolutely beautiful from every angle |
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| Temple is a hallmark of an era long lost in the sands of time |
Thousand stories to tell: Standing in the courtyard, we could experience the grandeur and vigor that has come to stand as the hallmark of an era long lost in the sands of time. I asked the guard if there are actually one thousand pillars for which he said “yes”. Well, I didn’t have enough time to count it but if you are visiting then do count and let me know 😉. Every pillar has unique figures carved on them. The 8-foot tall statue of Chandranatha Swami in the sanctum sanctorum was fascinating with a hush of silence and peace that envelops the temple.
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| Fort walls around the temple |
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| Observe the beautiful roof of the temple. It’s a 2 storey structure |
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| A thousandd pillars of the temple that tell thousand stories |
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| The courtyard was so photogenic that I couldn’t stop taking a vintage shot |
The intricate carvings and rustic look of the temple woke the photographer in me. We spent the next one hour trying to capture the beauty through the lens and ofcourse posed for few 😛
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| Once you step inside the temple, the art will leave you flabbergasted. |
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| The ceilings are decorated with the beautiful carvings and chandelier |
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| The 8-foot tall statue of Chandranatha Swami in the sanctum sanctorum. |
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| When three best friends meet, laughter never stops. The best candid picture of all time. |
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| Overwhelmed by the place, we couldn’t stop capturing this group photo. |
After admiring the 15th-century art we moved on to our next destination. It was 1pm, I thought to cover Kapu beach en route, but due to lack of time, we skipped it and directly went to Krishna temple in Udupi. It’s best to visit Kapu beach in the evening to watch the magical sunset, so let me keep it for my next trip to Udupi.
Important Notes:
1. Saavira Kambada Basadi timings/Thousand pillar temple timings : 9:00 am to 8:00 pm
2. There’s an entry fee of Rs. 5 per person and Rs, 50 for the camera.
3. The place is very beautiful to do a photoshoot. So don’t forget your camera if visiting.
Do leave your thoughts in the comment section below.Also, Read my next post where we visited Malpe beach and St. Mary’s Island.
