Let's pay homage to Tirthankar
- Nutan K Toppo
- Feb 11, 2018
- 6 min read
Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, INDIA
Year 2018 is the year of the grand celebration! The great head anointment also called Maha-mastak-abhisheka of Gommateshwara devoted to Jain God Bahubali which starts this February 17. This ceremony happens once in 12 years summoning the viewers and devotees to visit Shravanabelagola, located in the Hassan district of Karnataka.
If you have been a reader of my earlier blogs which contains the reference of Tirthankar (my other half) and had just read this blog title, I am sure you might have been forced to wondered 'why on this world should I be a part of this homage to Tirthankar'. True!
The reference of Tirthankar used in this blog is not my husband but the Jain Tirthankar. Coincidentally even I had not given the name or its meaning a thought prior to my visit to Shravanabelagola.
Mild Shower Of Rain Giving A Shadow Affect On The Colossus of Gommateshwara Bahubali
Enveloped Within The Temple Walls
The colossus is considered as the world's largest monolithic statue. The 58 feet 8 inch tall statue is placed atop of 438 feet high hill called Vindhyagiri hill. We drove down to Shravanabelagola, a 150 km drive from Bangalore,which was covered within 2 hrs and 30 min including tea and breakfast break. Driving along the Mangalore-Kunigal-Bangalore highway the glide was smooth, however from Hirisave from where we had to take a detour the road narrowed and we encountered mild wobble as the car glazed over the potholes and lose stones scattered on the way. We were expecting to be welcomed by the gigantic statue on our arrival to Shravanabelagola, however when we arrived to the spot directed by the Google map, we were in an iffy situation. 'Where was the view of the colossus structure, was it playing hide and seek or had we been wrongly-routed by the Google guru?'
We thought of taking the help of a passer-by, who appeared to us as a primitive of the land. He gave us a perplexed look then gradually raised a finger pointing toward the same spot where we were standing earlier, a gateway followed by ascending stairs.
We had earlier disregarded the thought of it being the adobe of the structure as we saw devotees carrying worshiping material and walking bare feet us the hill, which made us conclude it that it was a way to a temple.
Wait! What did we miss out earlier? Shravanabelagola is a place of pilgrimage and the hills form a part of the sacred worshiped statue. If you are standing at the foot of the Vindhyagiri hill you will not be able to see the structure, as it lies enveloped within the the walls around the temple built on top of the hill.
Stairs Carved on Vindhyagiri Hill
The Never Ending fleet of Stairs
Photoshoot On The Ascending Vindhyagiri Hilly Terrain
Climbing Vindhyagiri Hill
The 700 fleet of steps, formed by cutting the hill slope to form stairs, are much steeper than they look especially the initial hundreds. This is why there are pipes railing along the sides for safety and support. Needless to say the, the view along the way and from the top is totally worth the climb.
No pets are allowed on Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri hills, nor are shoes. There are provision at the gateway to pay and keep your shoes and belongings( which you might wish to not carry along). I would suggest, leave your shoes and belongings in your car or the place of stay rather than pay for it or risk being misplaced. I will strongly recommend you also carry or wear a thick/padded pair of socks to avoid bruises and blisters on your unshod feet.
Be double careful on your way down , it is more difficult than going up!
The Monolithic Statute Is One Of the 7 Wonders of India, Secures
History Of The Colossus
Shravanabelagola, the town built around and amidst the valley and a pond between the two sacred hills Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri, is a portmanteau word blending Shravana meaning saint and Bel Gola meaning white pond.
The History of the granite monolith goes back to Ganga dynasty era, during the rule of swayer Rachamalls. There are two version of the inspiration behind the making of the statue of Gommateshwara. One legend says that Kalala Devi - the mother of the then Supreme General and Commander-in-Chief Chavundaraya - dreamt of a huge statue of Bahubali and vowed to not eat until her dream was brought to fruition. Thus Chavundaraya pronounced to build the statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola an already anointed holy site by Jain's.
Another story spins a web around the conception of a dream by Chavundaraya. On a pilgrimage along with his mother, the General arrives at this place, a pond lying between and overshadowed by the two hills (Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri). In a vivid dream, he sees himself standing at the crest of Chandragiri and as directed by Ambika Devi (the Goddess mother - believed to be the protector goddess of the 22nd Tirthankar Neminatha) he shoot an arrow towards the adjacent hill. He witnesses the miracle of seeing the image of God Gommateshwara flash from the air where the arrow hit the spot. Following his dream he commissioned the carving of the statue alike to the figure of Bahubali seen in his dream.
It was Chavunddarya who started the ritual of Mahamastakabhisheka, and continues to be performed by Jain followers even today as part of their sacred ritual. The ceremony is performed only at certain positioning of heavenly bodies which happens once in 12 years. The Mahamastakabhisheka is also called Panchamritabhisheka - the purification or bathing of the statue with the 5 elements i.e. milk, curds, ghee, saffron and water. It is a grand celebration, worth witnessing if you don't mind the crowd.
Kingfisher
Are They Pigeons? How Come A Red Tinted Head
Things to Do At Shravanabelagola
There are not-so-famous but pure architectural beauty to explore around Shravanabelagola. Small ponds attract attractive birds to frequent the place. Climb atop one of the small hillock located next to the ponds during sunrise or sunset and marvel the golden and colorful glow of the hour.
Shri Bhagwan Shantinatha Swamy Digambar Jain Temple
Shilpkala Forming A Band Around The Temple
Don't forget to pay a visit to Jinnathpuram ancient Shri 1008 Bhagwan Shantinatha Swamy Digambar Jain Temple, little known among the visitors to this place. For us it was an accidental explore, during one of our quest to see the sunrise from the top of hillock next to a pond located behind Shravanabelagola hospital.
Engulfed by our quest for adventure, we walk down-slope towards the other-side of this hillock, amidst loose rocks and sometimes slippery slopes, we reached the foot of the hill not losing the sight of the temple. Crossing the paddy fields and the network of huts as we followed the pathways with children following us and running around we reached our spot. If you too feel the adventure hunger, however sense that you are lost, don't hesitate to ask a villager - he will happily guide you to the spot.
You can also reach the temple by following SH47, a drive alongside Chandragiri hill.
The standalone temple has intricate forms of stone carvings, figures of deities in various dance forms, couples and so on. Worth highlighting the curio patterns which are indeed a collector's piece. Enjoy the Kalakriti!
Akkana Basadi
Bell Shaped Pillars
Tirthankar Parshwanathan
Sharavanabelagola is a town of temples and you will witness plethora of structural beauty and ingenuity in the Jain temples located in and around the small town. On our way back we paid a tribute to Akkana Basadi another Jain temple built in 1181 AD during the reign of Hoysala dynasty. The temple is protected by the Archaeological survey of India as a monument of national importance.
The structure shelters the 5 feet tall idol of Tirthankar Parshwanathan standing under a seven headed snake canopy. Soap stone used to build the inside pillar and the statue is quite shinny and smooth. I am drawn to wonder we are talking about an age where the technology was said to be nonexistent, then how did the artisans make it so curvy with a stamp of perfection lingering around it.
The Decorative ceilings at Akkana Basadi are fabulous views. The interesting part is the mandala art form made in perfect symmetry on a stone carving. The design and the preciseness of the stone carvings is definitely mind boggling.
The Story Of the Temple - Written In Kannada
As we arrived at Akkana Basadi temple, we could not help noticing the single piece granite used as a slate with scribbled letters. What appeared to us as scribbled letters on close evaluation turned out to be the old grantha inscription narrating the story of the temple in Kannada transcript.
We had visited the place in the season where temple rested in absolute solitude, and the priest was busy performing his rituals there was no scope for me to get the transcript translated.
Getting a translation is a part of my to-do list lined up for my next visit to this holy land of Jain's.
Best Places To Stay
While there are few hotels at Shravanabelagola, most people make it a one day trip to this holy land. However, if you intend to stay and explore the place, here are my recommendations:
1. Vindyanand Nilay Dharmashala
2. Yatri Nivas
Both the accommodation are at walk-able distance from Vindhyagirir and Chandragiri and is located in the heart of the town. Both the guesthouses are maintained, clean and pretty economical.
However if you are visiting the place during the celebration, it is advised to do an advance booking as getting a room in this facility might be next to impossible.
Have any questions about Shravanabelagola? Have any other suggestions? Do leave a message in the comments below!
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