Hadavalli

Hadavalli is a small village, situated about 20km from Bhatkala in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India.

History

Hadavalli, which finds its name in history as Sangeetapura, was once believed to be an abode for musicians and also a center for art and architecture.

Nature

Surrounded by scenic beauty, this place interests Nature-lovers and historians alike.

There a number of Jain Basadi in Hadavalli. The basadis are housed in the Chandragiri and Indragiri hills that stand facing each other. It is said about these hills that the tatwapada (songs of principles), which used to be sung on Chandragiri, were interpreted by the scholars sitting on top of Indragiri. A special sound system like that of a dome was said to have been constructed on the hill for the same. Indragiri has two footprints inscribed on stone and on Chandragiri is a small basadi with no shrine.

Temples and Basadis

Though it is said that several basadis existed in the area, there are very few which have overcome the onslaught of time. Among them, the Chandranath basadi stands out as a prominent one . As the name itself suggests, the Chandranath basadi has a statue of Jain Teerthankara, Chandranath. The architecture of the place dates back to the 14th century when it was said to be the capital of Salva dynasty.

Said to be built in the Vijayanagara Empire style, the Chandranath basadi is supported by 24 pillars, with the doors and pillars inside containing beautiful carvings.

There are many other basadis adjacent to Chandranath basadi such as Parshwanath and Neminath basadi, besides the Padmavati temple. The statues of 24 teerthankara have been displayed at the renovated Padmavathi temple.

Bereft of all past glory, Hadavalli is today still a solemn and impressive village. The Padmavati temple is in possession of a family which has statues of twenty four Thirthankaras. They are carved in fine black polished stone, each over half a meter tall. All the statues have inscriptions wrought in very small letters. The temple looks like a house from outside. It is cleanly maintained. Regular puja (worship) takes place everyday.

It is also said that 132 statues, which were taken from here for an exhibition in Belgaum, were never returned. Sadly, nobody now knows where these statues are.

External links

* [http://karnataka.fotopic.net/c1024263.html Pictures of Hadavalli]
* [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/haduvalli/ Information on Hadavalli at Kamath.com]