Dharmastala is one of the sacred Jain centres in Karnataka. It is situated at 75 km east of Mangalore city and on the lower slopes of the Western Ghats. Dharmastala is a famous pilgrimage centre of Karnataka where hundreds of Indians visit daily to worship at its famous Manjunatha temple. This temple is quite modern and there is an interesting mixture of various faiths.
The Manjunatha temple of Dharmastala is a well known Saivite centre. The Madhwa Vaishnava priests attend the temple and it is looked after by a Jain family. The huge 14 meter high statue of Bahubali shows the Jain influence. It was built in 1973 on the low hill above the temple. Similar statues can be seen at the Sravanabelagola and at nearby places like Karkal and Venur. The posture, facial expression and designs of creepers around the arms of the figure of Bahubali were taken from those statues.
There is a museum named Manjusha Museum can be seen just opposite the Manjunatha temple of Dharmastala. This museum has a large and diverse collection. The items displayed here include ancient scripts on palm leaves, silver jewellery and religious statuary.
