Jainism and Jain temple Gometeswara at Sravanabelagoal Karnataka

by Madugundu Krishna    September 29, 2012

 The Bants and of south Kanara worship the class of deities called `bhuta,’ a word taken to mean demon.

Karnataka has many places of Jain interest. Among the better known is Mudbidri where the temple has a thousand-pillared hall filled with beautiful carvings. At Karkala and Venoor, there are statues of Gometeswara.

The white ibis, the little egret, the darter, the open bill stork, the spoon-bill, the pond heron, the cattle egret, the wild duck, the peafowl, the partridge- these, among do many others, and fill the air with their myriad voices. The best time of the year to see the birds at Ranganathittoo is between June and October.  

Only traces of animism remain. The later and more sophisticated forms of religion have taken roots in Karnataka. Apart from Brahmanism, based as it is on the Vedas, Jainism made an early entry. The monolithic statue of Gometeswara at Sravanabelagoal symbolizes the complete spiritual abstraction and renunciation preached by Jainism. Jain poets were pioneers in the development of Kannada literature. Buddhists, Mohammedans, Christians and the various Hindu sects and subjects live in relative harmony, although social distinctions are rigid.       

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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