I recently visited Shravanabelagola, a historical town located in the Hassan district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is known for its famous Jain pilgrimage site, which attracts visitors from all over India and the world.
The town is situated at the top of a rocky hill and is home to two famous Jain temples, the Gommateshwara temple and the Chandragiri temple. The Gommateshwara temple is particularly famous for its 58-foot tall statue of Lord Gommateshwara (also known as Bahubali), which is carved out of a single block of granite and is considered one of the largest monolithic statues in the world.
Shravanabelagola is also known for its annual Mahamastakabhisheka festival, which is held once every 12 years and attracts thousands of devotees to witness the anointing of the Gommateshwara statue with milk, curd, honey, saffron, and other auspicious substances.
Apart from its religious significance, Shravanabelagola is also a popular tourist destination due to its scenic beauty and historical significance. The town has several ancient monuments, including the Chandragiri hill, which is home to several Jain temples and a cave complex.
Shravanabelagola has the two important inclusions ‘Bel’ and ‘Kola’. Bel means white, and Kola means pond. A beautiful pond lies in the middle of the town of Shravanabelagola.
The main tourist attraction includes the following sites which can be enjoyed for its unique architecture and sculptured temples, statues, pillars and Maths. Chandragiris the place where the Chandragupta Basadi of Gangas and ParashwanathaBasadiused to rule from this place. There are several Jain temples located all around the place and the mst famous among them was built by Chamundaraya.
Indragiri is another tourist place which has the Gommata monolith, the statue of Bahubali, which is said to be the tallest monolithic structure in the whole world. This statue along with the exquisitely engraved Tyagada Brahma Pillar, and the Siddhara Basadi, Odegal Basadi, Chennanna Basadi and Chauvvisa Tirthankara Basadi was installed by one of the Ganga general and veteran scholar Chamundaraya.
Jinanathapura which is located in the north of Shravanabelagola, has Aregal Basadi and Shantinatha Basadi of the Hoysala dynasty. Bhattaraka Math which belongs to Desiya Gana lineage of Mula Sangha of Digambar monastic tradition is another site which shows the Jainism religion.
You can also study the inscriptions of more than 800 texts which goes back to the 10th century.
The festival of Mahamastakabhisheka which is the ceremony of the 17.38m high statue of Lord Bahubali (Gomateshwar) at Indragiri Hills is celebrated every 12 years. On this occasion, the statue is smeared with thousands of pots of coconut oil, yoghurt, ghee, bananas, jaggery, dates, almonds, poppy seeds, milk, saffron and sandalwood. So you can experience the grand ceremony while visiting the place.
All of these facts about Shravanabelagola city & temple blew my mind off. As I am always interested in historical facts and places that connect to our history, this place was totally cool for me. You should visit this place once for sure and I am sure, you will love it.
Also read:
Coorg, Karnataka – The Coffee Cup of India
75 Things to Do in INDIA at least ONCE in your LIFETIME
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