Lands attached to Jain temples lost, need survey and protection  

BENGALURU:  Over 50,000 places of worship of Jains in Karnataka are today in need of protection and a proper survey. Members of the community have voiced concern that valuable lands and properties attached to more than 90 per cent of the basadis and temples, worth at least Rs 2-3 lakh crore, have been encroached or are lost. In some places, entire temples have disappeared. 

As the community wakes up to this reality, it wants the existing religious properties surveyed and protected, through legislation if need be, to ensure their safety. Surendra Heggade, brother of Veerendra Heggade, head of the well-known Dharmasthala Manjunatha shrine, said they have taken up restoration work of many Jain shrines and temples.

The Karnataka State Minority Commission has raised the issue and written to the government that these 50,000 religious centres need to be surveyed and protected. Many do not have proper documentation because the grant records dating back centuries are either lost or destroyed.

“We would like the government to ensure these properties are protected from further encroachment. A legislation to bring all these properties under a board would be helpful to ensure they are protected through a legislative act,’’ Commission chairman Abdul Azeem said. 

The state has a strong Jain culture, especially in the north. “In Belagavi alone, we have about 22,000 basadis and Jain temples, and across the state, there are more than 50,000 places of worship. Lands surrounding the basadis and temples were given as grants, to help in the upkeep of the religious centre or shrine. In 99.9 per cent of the cases, the land is lost, or has been encroached. The property lost could be estimated to be a few lakh crore,” Karnataka Jain Association President B S Prasannaiah said. 

Surendra Heggade told TNIE, “Through the Dharmodhana Trust, we have taken up 32 basadis or Jain temples across the state, which we have restored to their original form and transferred to the community for regular prayers and protection. We spend a portion of the amount for restoration, which is very expensive, and the state government pays a portion of it.’’

Sanjay Dhariwal, a Jain activist working with an NGO, said, “According to academics, such appropriation of Jain shrines has happened historically in Karnataka, as regions where Jains were influential came under Shaiva influence. Hundreds of inscriptions refer to Jain basadis being taken over by Shaiva monasteries and temples. Religious conflict between Jains and Shaivas and Vaishnavas has been explored in pre-modern Kannada literature.’’ 

Karnataka has had a great Jain heritage, with several powerful dynasties and kingdoms adopting Jainism. It enjoyed the patronage of the Rashtrakutas, Gangas, Chalukyas, Kadambas and Hoysalas.