BELLARY: A 9th century historic Jain temple located in Kogali village of Hagaribommanahalli taluk has turned into a ‘cattle stall’ and a storage room, thanks to the apathy of the officials and locals.
The temple is in a state of utter neglect. Once considered a Jain centre during the Ganga dynasty, the 1,200-year-old temple is now in ruins.
Expressing concern over the sorry state of the temple, local resident Rajalingappa P, a teacher, said the villagers have little knowledge about its history.
This is one of the reasons why the temple is in ruins and why the local residents are using it as a storage room, he added. He urged the authorities to initiate steps to protect the place.
This historic temple is also used by local carpenters to make furniture, especially because the space is available free of cost.
An elderly person, who is well versed with the temple history, said it is the second most sacred religious place for Jains after the 1,000 pillar temple in Moodbidri. But sadly, outsiders know nothing about the importance of the place, he added.
This temple also had 1,000 pillars once but now barely 40 pillars remain. Most of the pillars were destroyed by miscreants, he added. DC Sameer Shukla told Express that he would take steps to preserve places that have a historical importance.