Mangalore, India - 1 of 2 JAINISM

Mangalore (Mangaluru) is a large port on the West side of India with a population of 750,000 and only 65 sq miles, it is small but very strategic for oil reserves (it is where 2 rivers join the Arabian sea). Unfortunately, they still buy oil to refine from Russia to see to Europe. Mangalore also handles 75% of India’s coffee and cashew and teak exports making it one of the largest container ports in India. It is also known as a location for many call centers that we know and love (do we really love them?). Although it was founded in the 9th Century, the Portuguese were here before it became British ruled in 1799 until Independence in 1947 and has become a major commercial, business, educational and startup hub in India. The landscape we saw was covered in skyscrapers but once out of the city there was a combination of rolling hills, farms, and rivers amongst the Temple we went to visit.

As we traveled far out of town to the Jain Temples in Moodabidri, we learned a lot about the Indian culture and religions. There are 1600 languages and dialects here and that make communication interesting. Most people speak Hindi, English, and Tulu (local language). Mangalore has many Christians but of course there are also Hindus, Buddhists and a preponderance of Jains that came from this area, live here or pilgrimage here. We saw cows roaming the roads and they are worshiped and milked twice a day. They are never slaughtered and there is even an old age home for cows. Don’t ask what happens to them after that, it is very controversial.

Jainism which dates back to the 5th Century has two sects with over 5 million followers and there are 18 Jain Temples in the town we visited. Jain teaches that the path to enlightenment is through nonviolence and reducing harm to living things (including plants and animals) as much as possible. Like Hindus and Buddhists, Jains believe in reincarnation. This cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is determined by one's karma.

The three guiding principles of Jainism, the three jewels, are Right Belief, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct. We heard this over and over wherever we visited in India. The name Jainism derives from the Sanskrit meaning “to conquer” referring to the self- discipline personal battle to gain enlightenment, or omniscience and purity of soul.

We visited the Lord Gommateswara Statue in Karkala and climbed the 212 steps up to see the granite Temple built and the statue carved in the 13th century including the oldest inscriptions of the Marathi language. There are 23 prophets that the Jains believe in (and expect to come back one day) and the statues from the 15th Century are still there for 18 of them. We learned the story of the 2nd son (of 100) of the first prophet, who had a fight with another brother and at the end went to meditate for 12 years. He is honored by the statue we visited. One of the interesting things you get from climbing the uneven 212 steps up to the statue is you tend to focus and think about the steps and focus on the top, all helping you appreciate where you are going. At the same time inhaling more fresh oxygen and exhaling toxins is a healthy and cleansing exercise as you climb to the statue.

Next, we visited the Thousand Pillar Jain Temple in Moodbidri. Built in the 15th-century, Chandranatha Basadi, also known as the Thousand Pillars Basadi is unique in its design and pillars. Here we were introduced to the 1000 hand carved pillars that are ALL different. Each of the thousand pillars is covered with exquisite rock carvings. The perfection of the stone carvings, the symmetry and intrinsic details makes this detailed architecture so interesting. We spent a long time looking at the minute details in the carvings on some of the pillars. When you get past the pillars you reach the bronze image of Lord Chandranatha Swarmi. Any further than that and the next two floors of the Temple are all restricted to monks of the Jain Temple. It was a very interesting experience. Although I know practicing Jains in the U.S., this day gave me a much better appreciation for their history and beliefs.Read more