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| Karnataka Tourist Destinations - Karkala |
Karkala is a town and also the headquarters of Karkala Taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka, India, and is located about 300 km from Bangalore. It lies near the Western Ghats. The first name of this town was Pandya Nagari during the Jain regime but afterwards it was changed to Karikallu because of black stones. Over time, the name changed to Karkal and then to Karkala. Karkala has a number of natural and historical landmarks including the Ramasamudra Lake.. |
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MAJOR ATTRACTIONS IN KARKALA |
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Chaturmukha Basadi is a famous Jain temple, situated on a rocky hill at Karkala in Udupi District of Karnataka. Consecrated by Vir Pandya deva, the king of Bairarava family in 1432, the basadi was completed in 1586. It is built in the form of a square mandapa or hall, with a lofty doorway and pillared portico on each of its four sides. Since four identical doorways in four directions lead to the Garbhagriha, it is called Chaturmukha Basadi. The roof is flat and is made of huge granite slabs. In the Garbhagriha, one can see the standing statues of Ara, Malli, and Suyrata. Besides these, the images of the 24th Tirthankar and Yakshi Padmavati can also be found. There are a total of 108 pillars inside and outside the temple. This is the most celebrated temple in Karkala and is referred to in the inscriptions as Tribhuvana Tilaka Jina Chaityalaya and Ratnaraya Dhama
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This was previously a Jain Basadi proposed by one of the Jain king during the year 1567. Once during this time, Sringeri Jagadguru Sri Narasimha Bharathi Swamiji came to Karkala and the Jain King gave him a warm welcome to his Basadi. But Swamiji said "We will stay only if there is a temple with a Lord Almighty in it". So the king gave his Basadi to His Holiness Sringeri Swamiji with installing a stone sculptured Idol of Lord Vishnu in the sleeping form. This Lord Vishnu was found in a lake near Nellikar village. The idol is so magnificent to watch as it is a huge one sculpted out of a single black stone with Lord Brahma on the lotus (coming out of Lord Vishnu's navel), and his wives Sridevi and Bhudevi at his feet. This reminds us of the Sri Govindraja Swamy Temple in Tirupathi. One can find the sculptures of this Basadi in each and every corner of this temple. Also this is a protected site under Archaeological Survey of India.
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MAP OF KARKALA |
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