Bhagawan Chandraprabha Jain Temple is a
Jain temple
A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
dedicated to the deity
Jain, located in the town of
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
in
Thanjavur District
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore) . The district is located in the delta of the Cauv ...
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
Other Jain Temples
This temple is situated at
Ramaswamy Temple
Ramaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu located in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the prominent temples in the town and also one of the most prominent temples dedicated to Rama in India. This t ...
West Street in Kumbakonam.
[ There are also Jain temples in ]Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...
, Mannargudi
Mannargudi () is a Municipality in Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Mannargudi Taluk, Mannargudi taluk. The town is located at a distance of from the district headquarters Thiruvarur, 12 ...
, Deepankudi and other places in Tamil Nadu.
Structure of the temple
The temple has sanctum sanctorum
The Latin phrase ''sanctum sanctorum'' is a translation of the Hebrew term ''קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים'' (Qṓḏeš HaQŏḏāšîm), literally meaning Holy of Holies, in Latin texts, this generally refers to the holiest place of t ...
, front mandapa and maha mandapa. The entrance has no Gopuram
A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...
. On either side of the sanctum sanctorum sasana devas are found. At the outside of the front mandapa, two guardian deities are found in either side.
Presiding deity
The presiding deity is known as Chandraprabha
Chandraprabha () or Chandranatha is the eighth Tirthankara of of Jainism in the present age (). According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain ...
. This is one of the oldest Jain temples in Kumbakonam. Several Tirttankara idols are found in this temple.[Bharat ke Digamber Jain Tirth Kshetra]
/ref> He is the Eighth Tirttankara. Worship of Chandraprabha is going on in various places in Tamil Nadu.
Worship
The construction of the temple took place in 1903. Panchakalyana festival took place in 1905. During morning and evening pujas are held to the presiding deity, Brahma deva, Jwalamalini
Jwalamalini (,, ) is the yakshini (guardian goddess) of the eighth tirthankara Chandraprabhu in Jainism and was one of the most widely invoked yakshinis in Karnataka during the early medieval period.
Etymology and origin
' refers to ''the glow ...
.[சமணத் திருத்தலங்கள் (சோழ மண்டலம்), ஆதிபகவன் சமணர் சங்கம், 53/22, ஜவுளிசெட்டித்தெரு, தஞ்சாவூர் 613 009, 2009]
References
See also
*Arihant (Jainism)
''Arihant'' (, ) is a jiva (soul) who has conquered inner passions such as attachment, anger, pride and greed. Having destroyed four inimical karmas, they realize pure self. ''Arihants'' are also called ''kevalins'' ( omniscient beings) a ...
*God in Jainism
In Jainism, godliness is said to be the inherent quality of every soul. This quality, however, is subdued by the soul's association with karmic matter. All souls who have achieved the natural state of unlimited bliss, unlimited knowledge ('' k ...
*Jainism and non-creationism
According to Jain doctrine, the universe and its constituents—soul, matter, space, time, and principles of motion—have always existed. Jainism does not support belief in a creator deity. All the constituents and actions are governed by un ...
* Tijara Jain Temple
*Jainism in Tamil Nadu
Jainism has an extensive history in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, although practiced by a minority of Tamils in contemporary times. According to the 2011 India Census, Jains represent 0.12% of the total population of Tamil Nadu, and are of ...
* Tamil Jain
Tamil Jains (Tamil language, Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit ''Śramaṇa, samaṇa'' "wandering renunciate") are ethnic-Tamils from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, who practice Jainism (Tamil ). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,0 ...
{{Authority control
Jain temples in Tamil Nadu
Kumbakonam