Kamal Basadi is an 11th Century Jain temple inside the Belgaum Fort, in the north western corner of Karnataka. My friend R, whose family has been a patron of the temple for generations, took us to visit.
“Kamal” means lotus and it’s fitting. The anti amber has a lovely carved lotus blossom ceiling with 72 petals, each with a mini statutes of Thirthankaras (24 from the past, 24 current and 24 future ones). Thirthankaras are Jain prophets who help people achieve enlightenment.
Inside the Santorum Santorum is a idol of Neminatha, the 22nd Jain Thirthankara. And there are other lovely carvings and Thirthankara idols.
The columns are smooth stone and they are so shiny as to reflect when you look into them — the convex carving in fact causes a double reflection: one right side up, the other upside down. The are also “musical” — when tapped lightly with a coin the resonate with sound.
Next we checked out nearby temple that had been de-consecrated.
And then I was asked to pose for photos with a local family…
And R tapped into her inner super model …
Thanks R for showing us around and teaching us more about Jainism!
Dez in India 