The remnants of Jainism that once flourished here at Manjeswaram
- a major pilgrim centre with scores of temples, churches, mosques
and Jain temples - in Kasaragod are major attraction for visitors
in north Kerala. The Chathurmukha basti here is an old Jaina temple.
The Jain religion was brought to the South in the third century B.C.
by Chandra Gupta Maurya (321-297 B.C.) and the Jain saint Bhadrabahu,
according to Jain traditions. These men came to Sravanabelgola in
Mysore. Later more Jain missionaries came to Tamil Nadu and converted
many Cheras to their religion. Prince Ilango Adigal, the author of
Shilappadikaram, is believed to be a Jain. The Jains came to Kerala
with the rest of the Chera immigrants starting in the sixth century.
The only evidence of their presence in Kerala is the incontro-vertible
fact that some Hindu temples of today were originally Jain temples.
The advent of Aryan religions like Jainism, Buddhism,and Hinduism
from north changed the Dravidian way of life existed in ancient Kerala.
Jainism was the first to come. The Koodalmanikyam temple in Irinjalakuda,
Thrissur district, is believed to be originally a Jain temple. Jainism
started declining in Kerala around the eighth century A.D and nearly
disappeared around the 16th century A.D. Jain shrines still survive
in Wayanad, Kasaragod, Alappuzha and Kochi.
This Jain temple where the presiding deity is Vardhamana Mahaveera
has four idols of the deity facing four directions in the sanctum
sanctorum. And one can see all these four idols through the four doors.
Hence the name Chathurmukha (means four faces) and basti (temple in
jainism).
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