Country India Language spoken Kannada | State Karnataka District Dakshina Kannada | |
Venur or Venoor (??????)is a small village on the banks of the Phalguni river in the South Kanara of Karnataka, India. It was once the seat of Jainism and the capital of the Ajila Dynasty. It is on the Dharmasthala-Moodabidri-Karkala route on the costal religious circuit in the Karnataka State of India. Venur belongs to Belthangady taluq in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka.
Contents
- Map of Venur
- Ajila Dynasty
- Bahubali Statue
- Mahamastakabhisheka
- Temples at Venur
- Reaching Venur
- Accommodation
- Further reading
- References
Map of Venur
Ajila Dynasty
Venur is a small town in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka state situated on the bank of river Phalguni. Venur though a small town was once a great seat of Jainism. It was the capital of the Ajila Dynasty and one of the most prominent Kings of them Thimmanna Ajila built a colossus of Gommateshwara 38 feet high in 1604 AD. He was a direct descendant of Chamundaraya, who built one at Shravanabelagola. Venur colossus is the shortest of all the three Gommateshwara’s within the radius of 250 km around it. It also stands in an enclosure, on the same pattern as that of Shravanabelagola. The Kings of Ajila Dynasty ruled here from 1154 AD to 1786 AD. The current descendant of the Ajila Dynasty is Thimmnnarasa Dr. Padmaprasad Ajila.
Bahubali Statue
Venurs claim to fame is the monolith of Bhagawan Bahubali also known as Lord Gomateshwara. The single rock statue is 38 feet in height and was erected by the Jain ruler Timmanna Ajila in the year 1604. The statue is supposed to have been sculptured by Amarashilpi Jakanachari. The statue stands facing westward on a high platform on the banks of the river Phalguni. This statue of Bahubali is one of the five giant monoliths (of the same Jain monk) found in Karnataka, which are more than 20 feet in height. (the others being at Shravanabelagola, Karkala and Dharmasthala and Gommatagiri).
Mahamastakabhisheka
The last mahamastakabhisheka or the head anointing ceremony of the statue (typical of all the four Bahubali statues) was held in the year 2000. The second mahamastakabhisheka of this century will be held from 28 January 2012 to 5 February 2012 under the guidance of Acharya Vidyananda. It will be inaugurated by D.V.Sadananda Gowda, Chief Minister of Karnataka.
Temples at Venur
Reaching Venur
Venur lies along the Dharmasthala Moodabidri Karkala route in the Belathangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada District. It is situated at a distance of 20 km from Moodabidri and 30 km from Dharmasthala. It has good approach roads from Mangalore, Dharmasthala, Moodabidri, Karkala and many other important places in Karnataka. The nearest railway stations are Mangalore and Udupi. The nearest airport is at Mangalore.
Accommodation
Venur is a small town with only one lodge as far as accommodation is concerned. People visiting the place should make arrangements at nearby places such as Dharmasthala, Moodabidri, Karkala and Mangalore.