Anantanatha Basadi, Lakshmeshwar, Karnataka

Anantanatha Basadi, Lakshmeshwar, Karnataka

Anantanatha Basadi is a Jain Temple dedicated to Jain Thirthankara Anantanatha located in Lakshmeshwar Town in Lakshmeshwar Taluk in Gadag District in the Indian state of Karnataka. This temple is protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.

History

This temple is believed to be built in 12^th century CE by the Western Chalukyas. Lakshmeshwar was called as Tirulugannada Nadu / Purigere / Porigere / Purikanagar / Pulikanagar / Huligere / Hurigere / Puligere (means pond of tigers) during ancient times. It was the capital of Puligere-300 division. The city was under the control of Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Western Gangas, Western Chalukyas, Kalachuris, Cholas, Seunas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagara Kingdom. Adikavi Pampa composed Adi Purana and Vikramarjuna Vijaya (Pampa Bharata) in Lakshmeshwar. Lakshmeshwar was one of the famous Jain centres in ancient Karnataka region.

The Temple

This temple is facing towards north with an entrance arch. A granite manastambha can be seen immediately after the entrance arch. The temple stands over a low raised platform and is built using soap stone. The temple is constructed in trikutachala style, consisting of three shrines, one each on south, east, and west. The central shrine (southern shrine) is the most prominent one.

The sanctum of the central shrine enshrines an image of Anantanatha, one of the 24 Jain Tirthankaras. He is in standing posture. The superstructure over the southern shrine follows phamsana style of architecture. There are no super structures over the eastern and the western shrines. The eastern and the western shrines houses an image of Parshvanatha and Jina. All the three shrines connects to the navaranga via vestibule.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 250 metres from Lakshmeshwar Bus Stand, 13 Kms from Yalavigi Railway Station, 37 Kms from Bankapura, 40 Kms from Gadag, 45 Kms from Dambal, 46 Kms from Haveri, 54 Kms from Hubli and 57 Kms from Hubli Airport. The temple is situated on Gadag to Bankapura route. There are private buses as well as KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) buses plying between Haveri, Gadag and Hubli.

Location