Tirthankaras wasting away

Three kilometres from the world-famous Kokrebellur Bird Sanctuary the village of Arettipur, has the remains of basadis which were built by royals, dating back to the Gangas. The hamlet of about 150 houses does not figure in any modern map but finds mention in several inscriptions, including some that are 1,500 years old.

The collapse of Vijaynagar spelt the doom of Arettipur. Only merest traces of the once-thriving Jaina tirtha have survived centuries of neglect. Perched precariously on a pile of rocks atop the partly- quarried Kankagiri hill is a beautifully proportioned Parsvanatha idol that looks at onto Arettipur. It is one of the few idols here that is almost intact. A legless torso of a tirthankara, the torso-less legs of a second person all lie strewn about the hill.

According to the renowned scholar of Jainism, Dr. Hampa Nagarajaiah Arettipur once had four brick basadis. These were riveted north- south, with a spacious garba-griha, open pillared mantapas and brick walls that were neatly plastered with stucco finish.

Where Shravanabelgola's Bahubali is grand and imposing, Arettipur's is humble and approachable. Conspicous by its absence was a board proclaiming the monument's protected status by either the ASI- the statue appears to be entirely protected. The base of the hill is currently abuzz with quarrying activity. One wonders how long it could be before the entire hill was quarried away and recalls the words of wisdom by a renowned scholar.

'All ancient sites belonging to all religions need to be preserved'. But, then again, who pays heed?.