Jain Journal 1981 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 41

The Jain Basthi of Vijayamangalam
K. VENKATACHARI
Vijayamangalam otherwise known as Voyyapadi in Erode Taluk is a humble village of unruffled calm, enjoying a serene tranquility by its strange association with the small Jain shrine situated nearby.
The Vijayamangalam Jain shrine is one of the very few surviving Jain Basthis in Tamilnadu attracting at once the attention of the art lover and the assiduous scholar.
The shrine is dedicated to the worship of Candraprabha Vardhana, the seventh in the order of the twenty four Tirthankaras, most venerated by the Jains, the last among them being Vardhamana Mahavira, the popular founder of the religion. 'Candraprabha' is a Sanskrit word which means moonbeam. The Lord is believed to have been baptised after the desire of his mother, who in pregnancy, wished to drink the moon. To gratify her desire, was placed before her a silver plate of water, in which was cast the reflection of moon and she drank of it.
Candraprabha was of immaculately fair complexion and hence the crescent of the moon is associated with him as his symbol. Vardhamana Mahavira is also worshipped together with Candraprabha Vardhana and the two idols made of granite are enshrined in the sanctum sanctorum. Curiously enough the idol of Candraprabha Vardhana, to whom the shrine is dedicated, is smaller than that of Mahavira housed therein. The two granite sculptures mark the high excellence reached by the Jain School in Tamilnadu.
The conception as well as the construction of the temple may look much the same as of the Hindu's and only a closer examination will reveal the essential differences in its execution. The 'kalasams' or 'kumbhams', which are an integral part of the Hindu vimānas, are conspicuous by their absence in the tower of the temple. The 'dhvajastambha' or the sacred column, which is called 'manastambha' by the Jains, overlooking the gateway or the main entrance of the temple cuts through the roof of a small pillard mandapam and tapers abruptly in the azure sky without any horizontal ornamented projection towards the gateway at the top, as in the Hindu temples.