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Location
: Dharmasthala, Karnataka
Also Known As : Bahubali
Significance : Jain Pilgrimage
The Most Revered
Jain Pilgrimage Wedged between two stark rocky hills, the legendary
pilgrim centre of Shravan Belagola and shrine of the Jains since early
times is 150 km from Bangalore , 52 km from Hassan and 80 km from Mysore
. Shravanbelagola is one of the oldest and most important Jain pilgrim
centres in India.
It is a little
township tucked away between Indragiri and Chandragiri hills. Its
antiquity dates back to 3rd century B. C. when the great Mauryan Emperor
Chandragupta Maurya handed over his empire to his son Bimbisara and
sought the serenity of Sravanabelagola.
The Monolithic
statue of Lord Gomateshwara, a Jain saint and an object of worship for
centuries, standing atop one of the hills (Indragirl hill), is 17 metres
high and is said to be one of the tallest and most graceful monolithic
statues in the world.
The symmetry in
stone was created around 983 AD by Chamundaraya, a general and minister
of the Ganga, King Rachamatta. This giant statue was carved out of a
single block of stone.
It is regarded as
one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. Lord Bahubali or
Gomateshwar, the gigantic monolith statue is situated at the famous
Manjunath Temple in Dharmasthala.
It symbolises
renunciation, self-control and subjugation of ego as the primary steps
towards salvation. The naked Digambara form of Bahubali represents
complete victory over earthly desires.
Legend
Lord
Gomatesheshwara was the Jain prince Bahubali who during a war with his
greedy elder brother, Bharata who sought to usurp his kingdom, accepted
defeat at the moment of his victory because of the futility of it all.
He renounced the
world and his rights to his own kingdom, much to the severe repentance
of the Bharata and left to lead a life of penance and meditation,
attaining Nirvana
Priests climb up
to pour pots of coconut water, turmeric paste, and vermillion powder
over the statue's head.
Worship Of The
Lord: The Mahamastakabhisheka Festival
The
Mahamastakabhisheka festival, an elaborate ritual, held here once every
12 years attracts devotees from all over the world. The statue of
Bahubali is anointed with potfuls of exotic offerings including honey,
almonds, saffron, sandalwood, coconut milk, dates, bananas, poppy seed,
ghee and even gold and silver coins.
This ceremony is
called Mahamastakabhisheka and the next ceremony is in 2005 as the last
one was in 1993. Sravanabelagola has remained a great Jain centre and
the goal of thousands of pilgrims who flock to see the magnificent and
gigantic statue of Lord Gomateswara or Bahubali.
It was the Ganga
King Rachamalla who commissioned the sculptor Arstameni in 981 A.D. to
create this mammoth statue.
Nearby
Attractions The other attractions in the little township of
Sravanabelagola are the Jain ''Bastis' (temples) and 'Muths'
(monasteries).
One among them is
the Chandragupta basti built by Emperor Ashoka, the grandson of
Chandragupta Maurya. It has eight splendid carved idols studded with
semi-precious stones.
HOW TO GET
THERE
Sravanabelagola
is 2 ½ hours bus journey from Mysore , three hours journey from
Bangalore
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