Shravanabelagola – Finding Inner Peace

Shravanabelagola is an important Jain pilgrimage center, but you don’t have to be a Jain to visit and appreciate this place. Shravanabelagola is a treasure trove of history, but you don’t have to be a history buff to walk down the memory lane and relive it’s glorious past. Shravanabelagola is a scenic town on the bank of a large lake and nestled between two hills. While there are several places of historical and religious importance within the town limits, the most prominent places of religious and tourist interest are concentrated on the two hills – the taller Vindhyagiri Hill and the shorter Chandragiri Hill.

The administrative headquarters is Hassan District which is also home to the marvels of Hoysala architecture – Beluru and Halebeedu and numerous other temples of Hoysala architecture.

Vindhyagiri hill is where the 58 feet tall monolithic (carved out of a single stone) statue of Bahubali, also known as Gommateshwara is present. This is the largest monolithic statue in the world and dedicated to Jain monk Bahubali – who, as a king, defeated his brother King Bharata in a battle and ultimately decided to renounce all worldly pleasures to become a monk, following his father Rishabhanatha’s (Adinatha Tirthankara) footsteps.

The sheer excitement of climbing close to 650 rock cut steps to reach the pinnacle of Vindhyagiri hill and get a panoramic view of the entire town, the lake at the foot of the hill and almost a bird’s-eye view of the distant Chandragiri hill and several Jain temples situated on the hill makes the climb worth the effort.

The Bahubali Statue on Vindhyagiri hill has broad shoulders, curly hair and assumes Digambra style (a stark-naked human form). The eyes and the face of Bahubali have the serenity of a person who has found his inner peace. The base of the statue has carvings of climber plants climbing along the legs of Bahubali. Right behind the legs, snake burrows can be found to indicate that Bahubali performed penance in a standing position for such a long period oblivious to the vegetation and mounds of snake burrows growing around him.

While climbing up the Vindhyagiri hill, a spectator will come across several smaller temples dedicated to Jain Tirthankaras and a few stone inscriptions of importance. These inscriptions though not easily decipherable by common folk provide important information to historians and archaeologists who base their research and inferences on these inscriptions. Several of these inscriptions are still intact and well preserved while a few have shown signs of withering due to erosion and exposure to harsh climatic conditions.

Though the Bahubali statue was carved in the 10th century AD (year 981 AD according to some historians) by the Ganga dynasty kings who were proponents of all faiths and patrons of Jainism, the place had been a Jain pilgrimage center for several centuries before the statue was carved or the Ganga kings ruled this land; and the reason for that lies on the other hill – the Chandragiri hill which has several Jain monuments and temples that far predate those on Vindhyagiri hill.

Chandragiri hill gets its name after Chandragupta Maurya – the founder of the Mauryan dynasty and the first ruler of the mighty Mauryan Empire that ruled over large parts of present-day India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. After having established the Mauryan Empire under the able guidance of Chanakya with capital at Pataliputra (present day Patna, Bihar) in 321 BCE, Chandragupta Maurya decided to renounce his kingdom. He handed over the reigns to his son Bindusara and became a Jain monk. It is believed that Chandragupta Maurya lived his last days as an ascetic in Shravanabelagola on Chandragiri hill. While there are a few disputes from historians and few Jainism scholars, the popular belief places Chandragupta Maurya in his last days on Chandragiri hill in Shravanabelagola.

Once every 12 years, the Mahamastakabhisheka is performed to Bahubali statue. During this event, a pedestal is raised around the statue and Gommateshwara is showered with water and several other religiously prepared fragrant and colorful potions. Finally, the statue is showered with flowers. This event is conducted on a grand scale and lakhs of devotees throng Shravanabelagola to witness this visual magnificence.

There is an interesting lore around this event. Back in 981 C.E., Chavundaraya who was the person responsible for carving of this statue and the temple around it was taking immense pride in his commission and planned to perform a grand Mahamastakabhisheka of the statue. In the course of events through the day, a frail lady who had brought a small pot of milk as offering to the statue was disrespected. When the pouring of milk and other potions began by Chavundaraya and his men, to their chagrin the milk would flow on the statue only up to the navel and never reach the ground – no matter how much they poured. Chavundaraya immediately realized his folly and got the old lady come forward and pour milk from her pot on the statue. To everyone’s surprise, the milk that lady poured flowed from the head to toe of statue thus completing the ritual.

It is believed that the old lady was Kushmandini – the guardian Yakshi in disguise. The statue of a lady holding a small pot for offering milk can be seen just outside the sanctum of Bahubali temple. The daily temple rituals include worshipping this statue too. This shrine denotes humility as a virtue and a stepping-stone towards attaining inner peace. The lady is popularly known as Gullakayajji in local parlance.

Gommateshwara Statue is visible from as far away as 25km from Shravanabelagola town and draws devotees and tourists alike. The Vindhyagiri Hillis the taller of the two and steep to climb. It has rock cut steps, approximately 600 in number. The hill is of religious significance so as a mark of respect, the footwear needs to be left behind at the foot of the hill before you start ascending. The hill provides no shelter till you reach the top except for a few tower gates along the way and few smaller shrines.

It is however advised to buy and wear a fresh pair of non-slippery cotton socks so as to prevent scalding of your feet due to climbing on bare rock exposed to sunlight throughout the day.

Palanquins (doli) are available for hire at the foot of the hill to carry the aged, the disabled and the children. To avail this service, visit the Trust’s office at the foothill and buy your Palanquin ticket. Advance booking for palanquins is not possible and only spot booking is permitted. These palanquins are limited in number and patrons may have to wait if the palanquins are out on duty.

The Chandragiri Hill on the other hand has vehicles going up the hill and parking (limited) facility is available.

Shravanabelagola is well connected by road and is part of the important Hoysala tourist circuit due to proximity even though the town itself has very few Hoysala artifacts when compared to nearby Beluru, Halebeedu or Somanathapura. Shravanabelagola is approximately 150km from Bangalore by road on the prominent Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway route and a detour of 21km from the highway at Hiresave.

Shravanabelagola town has limited tourist amenities like restaurants and lodging. However, being an important Jain pilgrimage center, several options have been made available by the Jain community.

Hassan, the district headquarters is approximately 50km from Shravanabelagola has many tourist amenities including several multi-cuisinerestaurants and lodging ranging across price band all the way up to luxurious resorts.

For tourists from Bangalore, it is recommended to make a night halt at Hassan following a day-long trip to Shravanabelagola to rejuvenate and checkout the tourist towns of Beluru, Halebeedu and Doddagaddavalli the following day.

Shravanabelagola enjoys moderate climate throughout the year. Summers though not harsh may make the ascent of the hill difficult. Best way to deal with it is by hydrating sufficiently and wear suitable clothing. Prepare well for adverse weather conditions. Wear a hat/cap and sunglasses.

During Monsoon season, the hill doesn’t provide any shelter for ascent or descent. It is advised to plan the trips after the early monsoon subsides and before the late monsoon starts. The sky would be cloudy and provide best support for the climb.

Winter months – late-October through February are best suited as the temperature gets moderately cold and very suitable for the trip.

While Shravanabelagola has the tallest Bahubali statue, there are several other Bahubali statues in Karnataka. These include:

• Karkala in Udupi District (12.8m / 42feet)
• Dharmasthala (11.9m / 39feet)
• Venoor (10.7m / 35feet) in Dakshina Kannada District
• Gommatagiri in Mysore District (6m / 20feet)

Shravanabelagola is part of the prominent Hoysala Tourist Circuit. Within 50-100km, there are many different places of tourist importance including Hassan (50km), Beluru (88km), Halebeedu (80km) and Arsikere (62km) towards north, Sakleshpur (90km) towards west and the temple town of Melukote (35km) towards south-east.