Shravanabelagola - Gomateshwara

Name : Gomateshwara

Location : Shravanabelagola, Hassan District situated 158 km away from Bangalore

Description : Gomateshwara or Bahubali is a monolithic statue standing at 60 feet (18 m) above a hill in a place called Shravanabelagola. The statue was built by the Ganga minister and commander Chamundaraya in honour of Lord Bahubali. It was built in the 10th century AD and is the size Jains believe humans used to be. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, devotees and tourists from all over the world flock to the statue once in 12 years for an event known as Mahamastakabhisheka.

This gigantic statue of lord Bahubali, the Jain saint, is carved out of a single block of granite and stands majestically on top of a hill. For centuries, Shravanabelagola has remained a great Jain center and thousands of pilgrims flock to see the magnificent, gigantic statue. The saint is shown completely nude, in the Jain custom. It is 17 m. (55 ft) high and is visible from a distance of 30km.

This statue is regarded as one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. It was created around 983 AD by Chavundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King, Rachamalla (Raachmalla SathyaVaak IV 975-986 AD). The neighbouring areas have Jaina bastis and several images of the Jaina Thirthankaras. One can have a beautiful view of the surrounding areas from the top of the hill.

Festivals : At Shravanabelagola the Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held once in 12 years, when the image of Gomateshwara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins.