Worship of Lord Brahma, Part 81

BY: SUN STAFF

Brahmastambha at Kambadahalli

Apr 26, 2018 — CANADA (SUN) — A serial exploration of places of Lord Brahma's worship.

Lord Brahma at Kambadahalli

In yesterday's segment on Brahma worship in Jain temples, we covered a number of Brahmastambhas, pillars with murtis of Lord Brahma positioned at the top. One example given was the 12th century Brahmastambha at Shantishwara Basti, Kambadahalli. Today we look at a second, super-excellent Brahmastambha in that temple complex.

Kambadahalli (Kambapuri) is a village in Mandya district, Karnataka. One of the oldest and most important Jain centers in Karnataka, the temples and monuments here were built by the Western Ganga Dynasty in the 9th-10th century. In Kannada, the name 'Kambadahalli' means 'village (halli) of the pillar (kamba).

Located 18 km from the Shravanabelagola complex, this site is well known for the beautiful Brahmadeva pillar found on the grounds of the Panchakuta Basadi. These temples date back to 900 C.E, and 72 basadis are said to have once existed here.

Panchakuta Basadi Complex

The Panchakuta Basadi is one of the most beautiful temple complexes built by the Western Ganga Dynasty. Constructed in Dravidian, Vesara and Nagara styles, it is similar to the Chavundaraya Basadi in Shrvanabelagola.

The main temple which is oriented to the north, facing the Brahmadeva pillar. It has five shrines, thus the name 'panchakuta'. Three of the shrines, including the main shrine, are connected to a mantapa by a vestibule, while the other two are disconnected and lie to the north of the trikuta cluster (three shrines).

Positioned at the top of the imposing Brahmasthamba pillar is a murti of Brahmadev, called Brahma Yaksha, which refers to a particular set of attributes of Lord Brahma's that are being glorified by the shrines. Another class of Jain deities in which Lord Brahma has been integrated are the Kshetrapalas. Akin to village deities, the Kshetrapalas are often worshipped as field guardians by farmers, who particularly worship Brahmadev and Bhairava in this capacity.

SERIES INDEX:

Part 1 - Brahma-Karmali in Carambolim, Valpoi, Goa
Part 2 - Pushkar, Rajasthan
Part 3 - Chinch & Asotra, Rajasthan
Part 4 - Eklingji, Udaipur, Rajasthan)
Part 5 - Vasantgarh, Rajasthan)
Part 6 (Rajasthan: Bijoila, Mewar; Chandravati, Sirohi; Kiradu & Sevadi, Jodphur)
Part 7 (Khokhan, Himachal Pradesh)
Part 8 (Tihri-Uttarsal, Himachal Pradesh)
Part 9 (Una, Himachal Pradesh)
Part 10 (Dudhahi, Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh)
Part 11 (Gaya, Bihar)
Part 12 (Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh)
Part 13 (Alampur, Andhra Pradesh)
Part 14 (Kaleshwar, Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh)
Part 15 (Sampradaya Acarya - Lingampally, Andhra Pradesh)
Part 16 (Manthani, Andhra Pradesh)
Part 17 (Gurramguda Village, Andhra Pradesh)
Part 18 (Tirusulam, Tamil Nadu)
Part 19 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 20 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 21 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 22 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 23 (Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 24 (Syncretistic Forms of Lord Brahma)
Part 25 (Thirupachur, Tamil Nadu)
Part 26 (Pancheshti/Pancheti, Tamil Nadu)
Part 27 (Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 28 (Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu)
Part 29 (Mandagappattu, Tamil Nadu)
Part 30 (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 31 (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 32 (Thirumukkoodal, Tamil Nadu)
Part 33 (Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu)
Part 34 (Thirunaraiyur, Tamil Nadu)
Part 35 (Thirunaraiyur, Tamil Nadu)
Part 36 (Thiruvengadu, Tamil Nadu)
Part 37 (Thiruvelliyankudi, Tamil Nadu)
Part 38 (Kuthanoor, Tamil Nadu)
Part 39 (Lalgudi, Tamil Nadu)
Part 40 (Kulithalai, Tamil Nadu)
Part 41 (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu)
Part 42 (Thirupattur, Tamil Nadu)
Part 43 (Pullamangai, Tamil Nadu)
Part 44 (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu)
Part 45 (Sri Rangam, Tamil Nadu)
Part 46 (Tanjore, Tamil Nadu)
Part 47 (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu)
Part 48 (Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu)
Part 49 (Darasuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 50 (Thirukkannapuram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 51 (Malayadipatti, Tamil Nadu)
Part 52 (Thiruvadi, Tamil Nadu)
Part 53 (Thirukandiyur, Tamil Nadu)
Part 54 (Thiruparangundram, Tamil Nadu)
Part 55 (Kodumudi, Tamil Nadu)
Part 56 (Thottiyam, Tamil Nadu)
Part 57 (Nallur, Tamil Nadu)
Part 58 (Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu)
Part 59 (Purusha Sukta - The Hymn of Creation)
Part 60 (Kottakkal, Kerala)
Part 61 (Thirunavaya, Kerala)
Part 62 (Triprayar, Kerala)
Part 63 (Kodakkal, Kerala)
Part 64 (Chottanikkara, Kerala)
Part 65 (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)
Part 66 (Thiruvallam, Kerala)
Part 67 (Tulunadu to Ur - Proliferation of Brahma Cult)
Part 68 (Lord Brahma and Abrahamic Cult)
Part 69 (Kolar, Karnataka)
Part 70 (Mullur, Karnataka)
Part 71 (Somnathapur, Halebid & Belur, Karnataka)
Part 72 (Sringeri, Karnataka)
Part 73 (Palli, Udupi, Karnataka)
Part 74 (Brahmalingeswara - Kanajaru, Karnataka)
Part 75 (Brahmalingeshwara - Maranakatte, Karnataka)
Part 76 (Brahmalingesvara Temples, Karnataka)
Part 77 (Brahmalingesvara Temples, Karnataka)
Part 78 (Aihole & Badami, Karnataka)
Part 79 (Lakkundi, Karnataka)
Part 80 (Sravanabelgola, Karnataka)
Part 81 (Kambadahalli, Karnataka)

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