- Statue height
- About 17 m
- Carved
- Around 983 AD
- Timings
- 6 AM to 11:30 AM, 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM
- Distance from Mysuru
- About 89 km
- Festival
- Mahamastakabhisheka (about every 12 years)
The statue
The figure stands upright and unclothed in the Digambara tradition, showing complete freedom from worldly ties. Creepers wind around his legs and arms, a detail from the legend of his long, motionless meditation, and he stands on a lotus with attendant figures on either side. The calm face is the part most visitors remember. A dedication at the base names Chavundaraya, a general and minister of the Western Ganga king Rachamalla, who had the statue made in honour of his mother.
The town's name is usually explained as the white pond of the ascetic, after the tank between the two hills.
The story of Bahubali
Bahubali was a son of Rishabhanatha, the first Jain Tirthankara. He and his elder brother Bharata fought over the kingdom they inherited, and Bahubali won each contest. At the moment of victory he gave up the throne and turned to meditation, standing still for so long that vines grew over him, until he attained perfect knowledge.
Festivals
The Mahamastakabhisheka is held roughly once every twelve years, when the statue is bathed from scaffolding with milk, curd, ghee, sugarcane juice, saffron water and other offerings before huge crowds. The most recent was in 2018.
Timings and dress code
Morning hours run 6 to 11:30, and the shrine reopens between 3:30 and 6:30 in the afternoon. Wear modest clothing; many pilgrims dress in white. Footwear is left at the base of the hill, so the rock can get hot by midday. Go early, carry water and take the steps slowly.
How to reach
Shravanabelagola is about 89 km from Mysuru and 18 km from Hirisave on the Bengaluru to Hassan highway, with regular buses from both cities. Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru is the nearest major airport. The town also has a railway station on the Bengaluru to Hassan line. We can include it on a Hassan, Belur and Halebidu tour.
Also nearby
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