Saavira Kambada Basadi

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest airport and railway station are both in Mangaluru, about 37 km away.

• By road

  Frequent local buses are available to reach the town. Moodbidri is 351 km from Bengaluru.

Rules to know

• Only Jains may enter the two upper floors.

Why devotees come here

Saavira Kambada Basadi, also called the Thousand Pillars temple, is the most prominent of the 18 Jain temples in Moodbidri, Karnataka. Its main deity is the Jain tirthankara Chandraprabha. The nearest airport and railway station are in Mangaluru, 37 km away.

Saavira Kambada Basadi is the most prominent of the 18 Jain temples in Moodbidri town. Its sanctum holds an 8-foot idol of the eighth Jain tirthankara, Chandranatha Swamy, made of panchadhatu, which the government site describes as five elements. The local chieftain Devaraya Wodeyar built the temple in 1430, and it took 31 years to complete. Karnataka Tourism also dates it to the 15th century and names the same local ruler, Devaraya Wadiyar, as its builder.

The complex has three storeys and seven mandapas, porch-like halls, built in the Vijayanagara style. The ground floor is stone. The first and second floors are wooden. The two upper floors are open only to Jains. The pillars are finely carved, and no two pillars are alike.

Moodbidri is 351 km from Bengaluru. The nearest airport and railway station are in Mangaluru, about 37 km away. Frequent local buses are available to reach the town.

Tips for your visit

• Moodbidri has 18 Jain temples in all, so a visit can take in more than one of them.
• Take time with the finely carved pillars and look at several of them, since each one is different.
• Karkala, Dharmasthala and Udupi are 20, 51 and 52 km away from the temple.

Questions people ask