JAIN TEMPLE, JAINMEDU, PALAKKAD- FORWARD Dear friends,
Though the visit toJain temple was there in my mind during my recent visit to Palghat, due to paucity oftime I could not visit the temple. I found a good article about the temple and I am FORWARDING it now GopalakrishnanDated 23-5-2022 (Manikya Pattanam Sree Chandraprabha Digambara Temple). ChandranathaTemple at Jainmedu after Renovation. The Jain temple,dedicated to Chandraprabha, the eighth 'Thirthankara', is one of the fewsurviving structures in Kerala featuring typical Jain architecture. According to Jainism, a Thirthankara is a human being who achieves‘moksha' through asceticism, and then becomes a role model andteacher for those seeking spiritual guidance. This temple is now managed byManikya Pattanam Sree Chandraprabha Digambara Basti Trust. Significance of the Temple: One of its types inKerala, also known as Chandranatha temple, the Jain temple is located on thewestern side of Palakkad. The Jain temple was constructed in the 15th century by a family ofdiamond merchants from Karnataka. This historic temple is of 32ftlong and 20ft wide and is made of Granite. It is the one ofthe few places in Kerala where Jainism still prevails. The locationof the temple is accordingly known as Jainmedu. It is at a Jain house here that the legendary Malayalampoet Kumaranasan wrote his monumental poem "Veenapoovu" or The FallenFlower. This temple isbuilt about 500 years ago by Inchanna Satur, for the jain sageChandranathaswamy. This area was once occupied by more than 400 jain familieswhose number is very scarce now. There is four divisions in the temple, 1st ofan idol of Chandranthan, 2nd of Vijayalakshmi Nathan 3rd of Rish abha and 4thof Padmavathi.The 32-feet high structure comprises four ‘aras' (divisions) withwalls devoid of glittering ornamentations and decorations. The temple was renovated in 2013 and a Panch Kalyanaprathishta was performed.A large number of devoteesfrom Kerala and neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu turned up toworship at the shrine as its portals were opened ,followed by elaborateinstallation rituals connected with the ceremony, known as `ChandraprabhaPanchakalyana Prathishta Mahotsavam." Legend: Palakkad is famousfor its Jain caves and monuments spread over many parts of the district. Jainism was spread across Keralaonce; ample evidences prove that Palakkad, along with Wayanad, was one of theirmajor settlements. According to many historians, the Jain monksentered Kerala through three routes — namely Mangalore, Wayanad and Konghunaduenclosing Salem and Coimbatore of Tamil Nadu. Legend says thatthe Jainimedu temple was constructed in a 12-acre plot by a family of diamondtraders who came from Kanahalli in Karnataka 500 years ago. After one of itsmale members died during a routine business visit to the area, his brother,Inchana Satur built the temple in memory of him as per a sage's advice. Incourse of time, their family settled around the shrine. Following them,hundreds of Jains, most of them diamond merchants from across the country, cameand settled here. Thus Jainimedu was known as ‘Manikyapattanam'(Diamond town) and ‘Muthupattanam' (Pearl town). The eastern part ofPalakkad town — Chandranagar — was also said to be a Jain settlement.Anelaborate chariot festival used to be held here in its golden days. The legacy of this temple, which had 24 wells, began towane with the arrival of Tipu Sultan in Palakkad. Thetemple wall was demolished and the bricks were used for constructing a fort. The Jain community later fled toWayanad district. This temple is setin a very calm and tranquil place and offers a peaceful atmosphere formeditation or spiritual retreat. By Team Devaayanam at November 03, 2016 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1774953201.1253993.1653289064884%40mail.yahoo.com.
