Digambara Jain Temple Cudnem - A Ruins of Ancient Jain Temple in Goa.

 

The ancient Jain temple of Cudnem village dedicated to Lord Rishabhanatha was constructed by Gurjara community in tenth century. The temple is located in an area called Gujir Vaddo in Kudnem. The name suggests that the area once had a Gujrati settlement earlier. The majority of the Jain followers hailed from Gujrat who built this structure. Moreover, being Hinduism followers, they were tolerant toward the Jainism followers that began spreading. After the fall of the Kadambas, there was political unrest as the rulers shifter time to time. The Mughal invasion and attack in the 14th century approximately led by Aurangzeb burned down bicholim including the Temple. Thus fell the beauty of this bustling trade centre from the Kadamba age. Since then, the spot has been in ruins without much change in the features. Broken idols of Tirthankara were discovered during an excavation in 1986 by the directorate of archeology and archives.

 

 

Cudnem is an erstwhile town of the Chalukyan period situated in Bicholim taluk of North Goa District. It is located within 3 km from the Aravalem Caves. An ancient Jain Temple belonging to the Vijayanagar period is an important landmark. Recent excavations have unearthed a few interesting structures – the temple consists of a Mukhamantapa and a Garbagriha are constructed of laterite on a 2 meter high platform. The sculptural structure of the idol indicates that the temple belongs to the Kadamba period. A lot of Lime mortar found during the excavations indicates its use as a binding material. This is the only medieval temple of Goa which has a “Nagara” (Indo-Aryan) architectural feature. The high platform and the tall Shikara give a sense of soaring height to the temple. A “Prakara” wall with a base of pillars has also been unearthed. This Jain temple is similar to the Saptakoteshwar temple of Narve and the Chandranath temple of Paroda. The excavations around the Cudnem Jain temple have contributed significantly to the history of Jainism in Goa.