India is famous for people from so many religious backgrounds, coexisting and yet living at peace for so many centuries. And, one among those religions which is actually known for preaching peace in Jainism. This is one of the oldest religions that have its roots in India. The locations of Jain holy places are not limited to one or two places but all across the country.
Varanga is a small village located at a distance of 26 Km from Karkala in Udupi district. Varanga is a popular pilgrim center, for Jains. This beautiful village houses are mostly ancient and wonderful Basadis (Jain Temples). The main attractions of Varanga are Neminatha Basadi, Chandranatha Basadi, & Kere Basadi.
This village is also blessed with scenic views and pleasant weather which is more than enough to make you consider more than one visit! Keep aside 1-2 hours seeing all the Varanga Jain temples. They are within walking distance from each other. Usually, during the monsoons, the lake is filled with green & white water lilies. From far, the temple looks like a regular home with sloping roofs; one when come closer, will realize that the temple walls are made of marble. They are actually typical of Jain temples – with Gold or silver embossed work.
Neminatha Basadi, the biggest among all other & also c/a the Hire Basadi, dedicated to Lord Neminath. It is located across a paddy field and is considered as the Gramdevaru or the village deity temple of Varanga. The east-facing Neminatha Temple has two beautifully sculpted elephants greeting, just before the impressive granite entrance. The main attraction of this Basadi is 5 feet black granite statue of Lord Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara in Padmasana position seating on ‘Kamala Peeta’ (lotus seat). Besides this main statue, there are smaller bronze statues of all the 24 Jain Tirthankaras in the temple.
Chandranatha Basadi, existed since 8th /9th century. Sometimes in the 1400s, the script points to King Devaraya of Vijayanagar granted land to the village for building temples. At the Chandranatha Basadi, the idol of the deity is made of Chandrashila and one can see the light across the idol!
The Kere Basadi is situated in the middle of a lake, and the only way to reach this marvelous house of serenity is by boat. It is the house of the idols of Lord Parshwanatha, main idol or Mulnayak- the 23rd Tirthankara with the hooded cobra over him. The other three dieties around the column includes, Lord Shanthinatha, Lord Ananthanatha & Lord Neminatha in ‘Kayotsarga’ posture (yogic posture) facing four different directions, ‘Chaturmukha’ meaning four faces.
There is a belief that things will go really well if one visit the Varanga Jain temple before starting anything new. Another interesting belief is that when Lord Parshvanath is offered flowers and if they fall to the right, the Lord has showered his blessings. The temple priest usually gives you a handful of puff rice to throw into the water from the temple courtyard. It is also, considered to be good omen to feed the fish around the temple.
Nearest connectivity:
If you visiting Mangalore or Udupi or to Agumbe, a short one day trip of 2/3 hours to Varanga will be satisfying. It’s best to stay in Udupi or Mangalore if you are visiting Varanga. Being a small village, there are no major hotels/ lodges here.
381.5 km via Hassan and Sakleshpur from Bangalore.
299.3 km via Mangalore (NH275) from Mysore.
From Mangalore Airport – 73km.
Best Time to Visit - August to February.
There are one major festival is Rath utsav or the Chariot festival that takes place for 5 days in February.
The Jain Temples are open all days from 8.30 am - 6 pm
Narrated by
Tumpa Datta Gupta
Educator- Founder- Blogger
Green Wings Pre-School Educational Network
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