Chandragupta Basadi

Chandragupta Basadi is a Jain temple located on Chandragiri Hill at Shravanabelagola in Hassan District, Karnataka. It is one of the oldest basadis in the hill complex and is traditionally associated with Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, who is believed to have spent his final years here as a Jain ascetic. The present structure, dated to the 9th-10th century during the Western Ganga period, exhibits simple Dravidian architecture and houses Jain Tirthankara images.

Visitors can expect a small, historic Jain temple atop Chandragiri Hill reached by climbing about 200 stone steps. The basadi has a modest stone structure with a pillared hall and sanctum housing Jain images, surrounded by other ancient basadis and memorial stones on the hilltop. The hill offers open rocky terrain, inscriptions, and views over Shravanabelagola town and Vindhyagiri Hill with the Gommateshwara statue. The atmosphere is quiet and pilgrimage-oriented.

The basadi is traditionally linked to Chandragupta Maurya (4th-3rd century BCE), who according to Jain tradition abdicated his throne, became a disciple of Jain Acharya Bhadrabahu, migrated to Shravanabelagola and performed sallekhana on Chandragiri Hill. The hill is named after him. The present temple structure is dated to the 9th-10th century during the Western Ganga dynasty and is among the earliest surviving Jain monuments at Shravanabelagola, with later additions and inscriptions documenting its continued importance.

The basadi is an important shrine for the Digambara Jain community and part of the major Jain pilgrimage centre of Shravanabelagola. It represents the early Jain heritage of Karnataka and the tradition of asceticism associated with Chandragiri Hill. The complex is revered as a sacred hill where many Jain monks are believed to have attained salvation, and it remains an active place of worship and pilgrimage.