Moodbidri

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

Because of widely grown bamboo in ancient days, this place got named as Moodabidri. Moodabidri comes from two words Moodu and Bidiru. Moodu means East and Bidiru means bamboo. This place was also known as Mooduvenupura (Kannada: ಮೂಡುವೇಣುಪುರ).

Its average elevation is 147 metres (482 feet).

Location

Moodbidri is on National Highway 13. Moodabidri is accessible from Mangalore by bus. Just 38 km away. You can reach Mangalore by train, bus or air. Mangalore Airport is just  20 away from Moodbidri. It is 53 km away from Udupi, place of world fame Sree krishna temple. Also it is near to another jain centric place called Karkala. The other nearby places are Venoor, Kudremukh.

History
Typical Yakshagana Artist
Gowri Temple located at heart of the city is the oldest temple in Moodbidiri. The temple is said to have been built in 7th century.
Hanuman Temple located at heart of the city is the most famous temple around Moodbidri. People from many religions including Hindus, Muslims and Christians offer prayers to the Lord Hanuman.

There are 18 temples, 18 lakes, 18 Jaina Basadis and 18 roads connecting various villages in Moodbidri.

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 is the earliest of the Jain monuments. A 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 storeyed construction was supported by the rulers, the Jain Bhattaraka Swamiji, merchants and the common people. The temple is famous for the open pillared hall in front, consisting of 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 carved wooden pillars and ceilings.