Moodabidri

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Mudbidri v • d • e Karnataka • India
Mudbidri
District(s)	Dakshina Kannada
Coordinates	13.08° N 74.98° E
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 147 m (482 ft)
Population	25,710 (2001)

Coordinates: 13.08° N 74.98° E

Moodabidri (also called Mudbidri), an ancient center of Jain learning, is a small town 37 km northeast of the Dakshin Kannada district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karnataka, India.

Its average elevation is 147 metres (482 feet).

1 Demographics
2 History
3 Also see
4 References
5 External Links

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Mudbidri had a population of 25,710. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Mudbidri has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 76%. In Mudbidri, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] History

During 14th - 16th centuries this town emerged as a center of Jain religion, culture, art and architecture. 18 Jain temples, snown as Basadis, were constructed during this period. The Jain Math at Moodabadri is headed by a Bhattaraka belonging to the Mula Sangh order.

The most famous among them are Guru basadi, Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi and Ammanavara Basadi.

Guru basadi the earliest of the Jain monuments. A beautiful stone idol of Parshwanatha, about 3.5 metres tall, is installed in the sanctum of this basadi. Here the rare Jain palm leaf manuscripts of 12th century A.D. known as ‘Dhavala texts’ are preserved.

Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani basadi is the largest and the most ornate of the Jain temples of this region. The common people also call this temple as Thousand pillared temple (Savira Kambada Basadi) . This is a large granite temple built in 1430 A.D. The 2.5 metres tall bronze image of Lord Chandranatha Swami in the sanctum of this basadi is considered to be very sacred. This three storied construction was supported by the the rulers, the Jain Bhattaraka Swamiji, merchants and the common people. The temple is famous for the open pillared hall in front, consisting by a large variety of ornate pillars decorated with carvings typical of Vijayanagara style. A 15-meter tall single stone pillar called manastambha stands in front of the basadi.

Ratnakara Varni, the medieval Kannada author of Bharatesha Vaibhava belonged to this place. The famous Jain canonical texts known as Dhavala texts and also a number of palm leaf manuscripts of historical and literacy value are preserved in the Jain Math (monastery).

Moodabidri was the seat of the Chowtas, a Jain ruling family, who were originally located at Puthige, about 5 km from here. They moved their capital to Moodabidri in the 17th century. The remains of the 17th century Chowta Palace is known for its beautifully carved wooden pillars and ceilings.