The Gomateshwara Statue in Karnataka

The Gomateshwara Statue is situated on the top of Shravanabelagola hill, in the State of Karnataka, India. Gomateshwara is also known as Lord Bahubali.

The Gomateshwara Statue stands at a height of 60 feet on the top of the hill. The Gomateshwara Statue was built by Chamundaraya (a poet and minister belonging to the Western Ganga Dynasty). Between the years 978 to 993 the Gomateshwara Statue was built. A single large stone was used in the construction of the Gomateshwara Statue. The Gomateshwara Statue is a completely stripped Statue, which was built according to Jain ethnicity. In addition several inscriptions were found at the bottom of the Gomateshwara Statue. These inscriptions are written in Kannada language which describes the ancient Kannada literature.

In the present day, the Gomateshwara Statue is considered as the world’s biggest monolithic statue. The Gomateshwara Statue can be viewed at a distance of 30 km. Everyday, a large number of devotees, especially Jains, visit the statue. The Gomateshwara Statue is a famous pilgrim place for the Jains.

At the Shravanabelagola hill, every 12 years devotees celebrate the “Mahamastakabhisheka festival”. Devotees Sprinkle 1008 vessels of water from the top of the statue. After the sprinkling of water, the bathing of the statue is done with a tons of sugarcane juice, milk, and the paste from the saffron flower. The process is continued with sprinkling the turmeric and sandalwood powders. on the statue. In addition the devotees offer a large amount of valuable stones and coins made of silver and gold.

In the year 2006 February the Mahamastakabhisheka festival was held and the next festival was expected in 2018.

In the year 2007, the people of India gave the number one spot to the Gomateshwara Statue among the seven wonders in India.

Traveling

From Bangalore airport (the capital city of the Karnataka state) it’s about 145km.

From the Hassan railway station it’s about 52km.

The easiest way to reach Shravanabelagola is by road. Bus services are frequently available from all the major cities of the Karnataka state to Shravanabelagola.

The Gomateshwara Statue in Karnataka