Kamal Basadi: Meditation in stone

The crowing symbol of Karnataka's rich Jain heritage, the Kamal Basadi is a testament to the diversity in Belagavi's cultural heritage, writes Shafaat Shahbandari

A view of the Kamal Basadi in Belagavi. Photos by author 

The intricate stone work on the dome of the temple is a treat to the eyes. Photos by author

Nestled deep inside the sprawling Belgaum fort is an exquisite lotus that hasn’t withered in eight centuries. Hidden by the high ramparts of the fort, it is hidden from plain sight and even within the fort, there is no direct access to Kamal Basadi.

As you glide along the empty roads of the fortress, through its many bends and turns, your eyes search for this much talked about beauty.

But this stone-carved lotus unveils itself only at the last moment, appearing out of the foliage surrounding it as you take the final turn off rampart road.

A crowning symbol of Karnataka’s rich Jain heritage, the Shri Neminath Tirthankara Temple, popularly known as Kamal Basadi, sits at the heart of the historic Belgaum fort.

Built in 1204 AD by Bichiraja, a minister of Ratta Dynasty’s King Kartavirya IV, the temple is a testament to local craftsmanship and diversity in Belagavi’s cultural heritage.

Housing some exquisite stone works, including the other-worldly inverted lotus ceiling from which it has acquired its name, this heritage structure represents the best of Jain architecture in South India.

Built around the same time as the Belgaum fort, Kamal Basadi is the oldest heritage structure in and around the fort. Though the citadel has been rebuilt and reinforced a few times, the Basadi has remained firm in all its granite glory.

Exuding calmness and serenity, Kamal Basadi has witnessed the vagaries of time and power around it.

As empires and kingdoms have risen and fallen around it, with new structures taking shape and the old order falling apart, Kamal Basadi has stood unaffected, like ageless sage in a reflective repose.

Inverted lotus

Exquisite yet unassuming, archaic yet refreshing, this 800-year-old heritage structure has a calming effect not just on the devotees who visit it, but also on the admirers of its seasoned contours.

Among only a handful of Belagavi’s surviving Jain built heritage, the Shri Neminath Tirthankara Temple offers a glimpse into more than a millennium old Jain traditions of the region.

Sitting on the balustrade-supported gallery of the temple’s mukhamantapa (the central arena), one could just wonder what this edifice and its surrounding structures would have been during their heyday!

A devotee of architecture could just sit in mukhamantapa and admire the intricate stone work of the pillars, the multi-layered stone door frame as well as the stunning lotus ceiling.

The tiered dome of mukhamantapa has in the interiors such intricately carved inverted lotus that one can gaze at it for hours, counting the 72 petals, reflecting on their various contours and imagining the artwork in its originality.

Arranged in concentric circles in decreasing layers and depicting a central blossom of the lotus, each petal has a carved idol of a Tirthankara. To the eight corners of the mukhamantapa are eight pillars with a deity carved on each. The inner chambers are adorned with lattice screens, floral patterns and delicate work on the pillars and ceilings.

Built in the later Chalukya style, the temple not only gives us insights into the local architectural styles and skills of the time, but also helps us reflect on how much of the local heritage we have lost.

Located close to the Parbat Ali Gate of the Belgaum fort, Kamal Basadi has several other heritage structures for company, including the stunning Ranga Mantapa.

Ranga Mantapa

Ranga Mantapa, a meditative stone building right next to Kamal Basadi, is no less stunning in its appearance. A square structure with an intricately carved facade of pillars and balustrades, the red stone building has a central hall and several smaller rooms.

Part of what was once a sprawling complex, the edifice could just be the outer chamber of what would have been a much larger structure.

Belagavi was once a centre of Jain heritage, but much of the old structures have been lost to time with only a handful of the temples including the Kamal Basadi surviving.

Both the Kamal Basadi and this Mantapa, located next to each other, are the attractions of the Belgaum fort.

The fort has several other heritage structures representing different faiths — a perfect ambassador for India’s syncretic heritage.

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