Varanga Group of Jain Monuments

Varanga is a small village, a very popular pilgrim center, especially for Jains. This beautiful village houses the most ancient and wonderful Jain temples like Neminatha Basadi, Chandranatha Basadi and Kere Basadi. The monastery here is a branch of the Humcha Jain Mutt and is said to have belonged to an ancient tradition. The main attraction of the Neminatha Basadi is a 5 feet black statue of Lord Neminatha, the 22nd Tirthankara seated on lotus seat. Neminatha is also considered as God of this village. A small shrine dedicated to Kshetrapala is situated outside the temple. A tall Manasthamba of 45 feet can be found outside the temple and 4 Tirthankaras are erected on the top of the pillar. Chandranath Basadi, also called Matada Basadi houses the Jain Mutt having a history of 1000 years.

The main deity worshipped here is Chandraprabha, 8th Tirthankara. The uniqueness of this Basadi is that the idol of the deity is made of Chandrashila and one could see the light across the idol. Popularly known as the lake temple, Kere Basadi is about 850 years old and it is dedicated to the Jain Lord Parshwanath (Parsvanatha). This temple can be approached only by the means of a boat. It would be a small wooden boat and one has to be careful, as rocking the boat can cause it to capsize. The lake is quite deep and it is inhabited by water snakes and other creatures. There is no saving if it capsizes, especially if you don’t know how to swim. Varanga can be visited throughout the year but recommended exploring in the monsoon season from June to October. It is because one can witness greenery around the place and the view of basadis will be breathtaking.