"Shravanabelagola" a Shravanabelagola Travel Page by bradbeaman

This is the 1025 five year old statue of Bahubali or Gommateshwara.

Shravanabelagola located 90 miles outside of Bangalore in the Hassan district of Karnataka where there is the 58 feet tall statue of Bahabali carved from a single piece of granite stone. This is the largest monolithic statue in Asia.

Shravanabelagoala has a great anointing festival every 12 years called Mahamasakabhisheka.

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There are seven unctions used in the great anointing or Mahamastakabhisheka: Water, Milk, Coconut Powder, Safrin, turmeric powder, Sandlewood, Flowers.

In most festivals the whole thing is spread out on the ground horizontally. The Mahamasakabhisheka was more of a vertical festival. The stature is 58 feet and there were people from the foot of the statue to on the platform 12 feet above the statue. This was a festival that was more of a 70 foot vertical column of people.

Bahubali also called Gommateshwara defeated his elder brother in war and became full of pride. He later realized the vanity of his victory and gave back the kingdom to his defeated brother and went away to meditate. Bahubali is the expression of the Jain's pursuit of conquering selfishness and pride.

The statue shows Bahubali with a creeper vines growing on his legs and arms, an ant hill is around his legs and he is shown unconcerned about the snakes around him. This portrays the extent of his detachment and renunciation.

In 981 A.D., Chavundaraya, the minister of the Ganga King Rachamalla had this statue carved.