Kere Basadi

The story of Kere Basadi

Kere Basadi, also called Chaturmukha Basadi, is a Jain temple in Varanga village in Karnataka’s Udupi district, set amid a lake that gives it the name “lake temple.” Its most striking feature is the chaturmukha, or four-faced, idol of tirthankaras housed inside.

The temple dates back to 850 years back, placing it in the 12th century. A Jain matha at Varanga is tied to the site’s longer religious history and is described as an offshoot of the Humcha Jain Matha; the matha itself is estimated to date to c. 8th–9th-century CE. An inscription found in Neminath Basadi and dated 1424 CE says King Deva Raya II of the Vijayanagara Empire visited the temple and granted land for its operation, and it also records that the Jain matha existed before that inscription was installed. Two later inscriptions, from 1515 CE and 1522 CE, mention grants sanctioned by a Jain businessman and by Chenna Bhairava.

The temple remains part of living religious culture. Its main festival is rathotsava, a five-day annual event in February. Kere Basadi is also associated with Buta Kola during Navaratri, Dusshera, and Diwali, and with a Vijayadashami Ratha Yatra featuring an idol of Padmavathi Devi. It is about 26 km from Karkala, another important Jain centre.