Shravanbelgola
is the holiest pilgri-mage containing the relics of Lord Bahubali.
This is a pilgrimage upon which a status of one of the
tallest statues of the world has been generally
conferred. Generally too, wherever there are statues of
Lord Bahubali in India, their heights are considerably
much. The statue of Bahubali situated at Shravanbelgola
measures 57 feet. The special feature of this statue is
that it has been carved out of a mountain. The stone of
the mountain and the stone of the statue are both joined
to each other, interconncected and inseparable. This hill
is 595 metres higher from the foot-hill.
The Bahubali of Shravanbelgola is also called Gomateshwar. The word 'Gomat' is the synonym of summit.
In view of the presence of the huge statue of Bahubali,
it has become famous as Gomateshwar. The fame of this
gigantic statue has spread to foreign countries.
Thousands of Foreign tourists come here to see this huge
statue. Millions of pilgrims visit this place every year.
Mahamastakabhishek (the greatly auspicious ceremony when
the head of the statue is washed with milk and crowned
with flowers etc.) of Gomateshwar Bahubali is performed
after every twelve years. Participating in this 'abhishek' (anointing with milk) ceremony is believed to
bring good luck and virtue. The late Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi had participated in this 'abhishek'. India
has accepted this statue as the glory of its past and has
also issued a commemorative postage stamp on it.
This statue of Lord Bahubali had been built in the 11th
Vikram Century. According to available references, the
mother of Shree Chamund Rai, Chief of Raja Gangras was
going to Pondnapur in Samvat 1037 to have a glimpse of Bahubali. She took rest on the Chandragiri mountain
opposite the Vindhyagiri mountain. It was here that some
invisible power inspired her to install a huge statue of
Lord Bahubali on the Vindhyagiri temple. Shree Chamund
Rai opened the chests of his treasury to fulfill the wish
of his mother. It was an extremely painstaking task, but
the hand of some super power was behind this construction
too, as a result of which, the huge image took concrete
shape.
An interesting incident took place in the great
consecration ceremony of this statue. The mixture of
water, milk and sandal which was being poured over the
statue's head dropped from its head directly to the
ground. Until and unless the water and the milk poured
over the head do not touch the feet, the consecration is
said to be imcomplete. When after countless efforts this
work could not be done, then at last a poor woman named
Ajjikaguli achieved the glory of getting this incomplete
ceremony completed. The Lord accepted the pure milk
brought in the leaf bowls from a distant village. To
commemorate this inspiring incident, a statue of
Ajjikaguli was also built here.
Just in front of the Vindhyagiri mountain is the
Chandragiri mountain. There are in all, seven temples on
the Vindhyagiri whereas there are altogether fourteen
temples on Chandragiri. It is said that nearly 2,000
years ago emperor Chandragupta had also visited this
place accompanying Acharya Bhadrabahu swami. The emperor
embraced death while in trance in course of his penance
here. That is why this mountain came to be known as
Chandragiri Parvat. The most ancient temple of Lord
Aadinath stands here. There are also the foot prints of
Acharya Bhadravahu Swami. There is also an incomplete
statue which is said to be that of Lord Aadinath's son
Chakravarti Bharat.
There is also a jain monastery at Shravanbelgola. Here
seventeen divine statues made of nine jewels can also be
seen.
AAVAS
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DIFFERENT DHARAMSHALAS
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FROM-WORLD RENOWNED JAIN PILGRIMAGES REVERENCE AND ART
BY-MAHOPADHYAYA LALITPRABH SAGAR
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Lord Bahubali, Shravanbelgola
Karnataka
9th -10th
Cen.
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Shravanbelgola, a small village about 90 miles from
Bangalore, lies picturesquely between two rocky hills. The larger hill known as Indragiri or
Vindhyagiri, has on it the colossal idol of Gommateshwra, or Lord
Bahubali. The statue standing in an open quadrangle in the Kayotsarga position is massive in size and majestic in conception.
The story of Gommateshwara has been an enduring theme in the art and literature of the Jains. Bahubali was the younger son of the first Jain
Tirthankar, Lord Adinath. The "Dharma Yudha" duel (a war that prevents death and suffering on a large scale) between
Bharat, his older brother, and the younger Bahubali, is an example of the inner strength of the human soul. In a three part duel
(Drisht Yudha, Jal Yudha, and Wrestling) over their father's kingdom, Bahubali triumphed over his brother and could have become emperor, and yet in utter selflessness he renounced everything.
Bahubali, is the ideal man who conquers selfishness, jealousy, pride and anger to attain salvation. Although, Lord Bahubali is not a
Thirthankar, the Jains revere him as the first soul that attained Moksha during the present cosmic cycle.
Legend has it that Chamundaraya's, a General in the Ganga Empire, at the bequest of his mother set out on a pilgrimage and came across the two hills at
Shravanbelgola, which was already venerated as a sacred spot by the Jains. Here, Chamundaraya chose the larger hill for the statue and ordered the carving of the monolith from a massive Rock at the peak of Indragiri Hill. The idol was consecrated in AD 980. According to local legend, it was
Aristenemi, the sculptor, who carved the idol from a single granite rock. The head anointment ceremony is the tradition started by the Ganga General Chamundaraya at Shravanbelgola in 981 A.D. This ceremony, also known as
Mahamastakabhisheka, has been celebrated once every 12 years for the last ten centuries. The next Mahamastakabhisheka (Anointment Ceremony) will be held in the year 2005.
The colossal idol of Bahubali, carved out of a single granite rock is the world's tallest monolith statue at slightly over 58 feet. It is worshipped not just for its beauty and size but for the principles it upholds -the triumph of man over physical desire. The gargantuan proportions of the sculpture have not reduced the sense offeeling and life in the sculpture. The body is perfectly proportioned and reflects effectively the serenity of a soul in search of enlightenment. The head with its curly spirals of hair and the expressive eyes seem to endow the statue with life. The sculptor has beautifully brought out the saint's steely determination in penance. The colossus stands in the Kayotasarga pose, a yogic position where the body is under complete control needing no sustenance nor performing any bodily functions. This highest stage of meditation is said to be
"Shukla Dhyana," where the soul is fully engrossed in itself, free of all temporal bondages. This idol of Bhagwan Bahubali eloquently conveys the non- attachment, the enlightened self-absorption of the soul engrossed in itself, and the bliss of Dhyana achieved by the Yogi. It symbolizes complete detachment from the world. It expresses perfectly the concept of successful withdrawal from a world of desire and suffering, weakness and worry, and from the inevitability of birth and death. His serene smile radiates the successful achievement of total peace through the conquest of the inner turmoil.
The sheer grace of the granite idol resplendent against the backdrop of the Chanadragiri Hills is breathtaking, a site that would be forever etched in the memory of the onlooker.
Shravanbelgola is about 100 miles from Bangalore and 30 miles from Hassan and is easily accessible by air, road and train.
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Information
Source: Jaina Calendar - 2004, Published by JAINA, USA
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Mail
to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
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