Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

, a ''manastambha'' () is a pillar that is often constructed in front of

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 ...

s or large Jain statues. In

North India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

, they are topped by four

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

images. According to the ''Digambara''

Jain texts Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jainism, Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which ...

like '' Adi Purana'' and ''Tiloyapannati'', a huge ''manastambha'' stands in front of the ''

samavasarana In Jainism, Samavasarana or Samosharana ("Refuge to All") is the divine preaching hall of the Tirthankara, stated to have more than 20,000 stairs in it. The word ''samavasarana'' is derived from two words, ''sama'', meaning general and ''avasar ...

'' (divine preaching hall) of the tirthankaras, which causes someone entering a ''samavasarana'' to shed their pride. A monolithic manastambha is a standard feature in the Jain temples of

Moodabidri Moodubidire (''Mūḍubidire''; also called Mudbidri, Moodbidri and Bedra) is a town and taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. It lies 34 km northeast of the district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karnataka, India. Because of widely grown b ...

. They include a statue of

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

deva on the top as a guardian

yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...

Examples

Some of the well known Jain manastambhas are: *

Kirti Stambha Kirti Stambha is a 12th-century tower situated at Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh town of Rajasthan, India. History Chittor has a history going back several centuries. It was an ancient centre of Jain tradition. Chittor is adjacent to the an ...

Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

. The

Vijaya Stambha The Vijaya Stambha is a Rajput victory monument located within Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India. The tower was constructed by the Hindu Rajput king Rana Kumbha of Mewar in 1448 CE to commemorate his victory over the army of Sulta ...

was inspired by this. * Manastambhas of Devagarh * Manastambhas of

* Manastambhas of

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas ...

* Manastambha at

Shikharji Shikharji (), also known as Sammet or Sammed Shikharji, is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Jains, in Giridih district, Jharkhand. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important ...

at Madhuvan Manastambhas in South India are generally

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...

ic.

Photo gallery

File:Hutessing Temple3 Ahmedabad.JPG, Kirti Stambha of

Hutheesing Jain Temple Hutheesing Temple is a Jain temple in Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India. It was constructed in 1848 by the Hutheesing family. The temple blends the old Maru-Gurjara temple architecture style with new architectural elements of ''haveli'' in its des ...

File:Temple_de_Shanthinath.jpg, Kirti Stambha at

Chittorgarh fort Chittorgarh (literally Chittor Fort), also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls ove ...

File:MahaveeJi Stambh.jpg, Manastambha at

Shri Mahavirji Temple Shri Mahavir Ji is an important and prominent Jain pilgrimage site situated in Shri Mahaveerji town in Hindaun Block, Karauli district in Rajasthan. Given the importance of the religious place, the Indian Railways has specifically develop ...

, Rajasthan, India File:Maansthamb tijara jain temple.jpg, Manastambha at Tijara Jain Temple, Rajasthan, India File:Jain Temple -01 by Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP).jpg, Manastambha at

Jain Center of Greater Phoenix Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP) is a Jain temple in Phoenix, Arizona. It was established in 2008. It represents about 150 families in the Phoenix metro area. History Of the total Jain population in Phoenix, about half live in the East Val ...

(JCGP), Phoenix, Arizona, United States File:1000-Pillar-Temple-Moodbidri-Main-Pillar.jpg, Manastambha at

Saavira Kambada Basadi Saavira Kambada Temple () or Tribhuvana Tilaka Cūḍāmaṇi), is a ''basadi'' or Jain temple noted for its 1000 pillars in Moodabidri, Karnataka, India. The temple is also known as "Chandranatha Temple" since it honours the tirthankara Chandr ...

, Moodbidri, Karnataka, India File:Desur_Digambar_Jain_Temple.jpg, Desur Jain temple and Manastambha at

Desur Desur is a Town panchayat in Tiruvanamalai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Geography Desur is located at . It has an average elevation of 114 metres (374 feet). Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censer ...

, Tiruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu, India File:Nasiyan Jain Temple - Full View.jpg, Manasthamba at

Ajmer Jain temple The Ajmer Jain temple, also known as Soniji Ki Nasiyan, is a Jain temple known for its architecture. It was built in the late nineteenth century. The main chamber, known as the Swarna Nagari "City of Gold", has several gold-plated wooden figure ...

File:Jain Temple, Chandni Chowk 01 (Friar's Balsam Flickr).jpg, Manastambha at

Lal Mandir Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir () is the oldest and best-known Jain temple in Delhi, India. It is directly across from the Red Fort in the historical Chandni Chowk area. The temple is known for an avian veterinary hospital, called the Jain Bir ...

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