Tribhuvana Tilaka Choodamani glitters again

By Team Mangalorean
MOODBIDRI May 24, 2008:

The Basadi houses the Chandranatha and Aadinatha Shrines. The construction began in 1430 by the Jain math of Moodbidri on a land given by Devaraja Odeya, a chieftain of Vijayanagara king Devaraya II. The "mukha mantapa" was built in 1451 and the 50 ft high "manasthamba" in 1461. Apart from "garba gudi", the basadi has five mantapas.

According to the government sources the restoration of the Basadi was done recently at a cost of Rs. 1 crore. Of that, Rs. 79.50 lakh has been spent. The money spent included Rs. 32 lakh released by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Rs. 43 lakh from the Jain math which covered grants from donors and Rs. 4.50 lakh from the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism had released the amount for arranging the lighting facility in the basadi.

As part of the rituals, a 1,008 kalasha abhisheka will be performed to the statue of Chandranatha Swamy in May during which month the Basadi will be fully lit.