Heritage and Tourism-a Case of Jain Temples and Monuments in Undivided Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India

Karnataka being the state of cultural heritage is rich with art and architecture. The historical association of Jainism with Karnataka dates back to the sixth century B.C. The Jainism in Karnataka flourished under the Gangas, Chalukya and Rastrakuta dynasties. Due to the impetus given to them Jainism prospered like never before and what we see today is exquisite creativity that flowered under these dynasties. During the rule of these dynasties numerous monuments in the form of Basadis, temples and magnificent statues and stambhas were built all along to spread the principle and doctrine of Jainism. These monuments and structures are exists still today and drawing the attentions of Jain pilgrims in particular and tourists from all over the world for their historical significance. The focus is to highlight the ever-growing significance of heritage and cultural tourism. It would be worth to make mention of few Jain monuments which are heritage rich and have strong full force on tourists. Karkala, Moodabidre, Venur, Dharmasthala are mainly identified for study as these are important heritage sites which draws most of the tourists. In this paper the researcher made a sincere attempt to introduce some of the Jain monuments that could be developed further for the promotion and development of tourism and can be formed as pilgrimage circuit by concerned authority. At the end few strategies are recommended that is feasible to promote tourism and increase the tourist flow to these sites.