Perhaps, older than Shravanabelagola itself, Halebelagola as the name itself suggests( Hale means old) has a small population and is situated five km away from Shravanabelagola. This ancient basadi dedicated to Parsvanath has its own place in history and existed before Shravanabelagola attained fame with many Jain monks and basadis existing here. Parsvanath basadi remained away from the public glare, surrounded by thorny bushes at Halebelagola village, five kms from Shravanabelagola till recently. The structure was even about to fall as it had become fragile with the passage of time. This old basadi probably was built during the 8-9th century in Dravidian and Gangan style of architecture and was completed in phases by the 11th century.
The pathetic condition of the basadi however caught the attention of the officials at the Jain Mutt at Shravanabelagola who impressed upon officials concerned of the department of Archaeology, Museum and Heritage to initiate work for its restoration ahead of the Mahamastakabhisheka-2018.
Having initiated work to restore the past glory of the basadi, officials concerned of the department of Archaeology, Museum and Heritage, dismantled the structure and took up the resetting of the basadi stones in their order of importance. “The foundation of the basadi has been strengthened and all stones of the basadi have been cleaned before resetting them,” says an archaeology official.
The Gopura (top) works have been going on at the basadi and flooring work needs to be completed before the basadi is fully ready to be thrown open to visitors, they said. Fencing the basadi will be taken-up after revenue officials mark its boundary.
Now, the surroundings of the basadi wear a clean look with thorny bushes and unwanted vegetation cleared. On Halebelagola, Ashok Kumar, a journalist, says its history is as equally important as that of Shravanabela gola. Owing to the onslaught on Jainism then, Halebelagola gradually lost its prominence.
The restoration works have been initiated at a cost of Rs 85 lakh with grants from both the department of tourism and from the funds meant for the Mahamastakabhisheka. Along with the restoration of the Jain basadi, a Kalyani, an ancient water pond, at the village has also been given a fresh look.
