Karnataka is a place to
visit, for people coming from all walks of life. Those of you who want to see
the beaches, the mountains, the rain cladden roads, villages, heritage sites,
cultural hot spots, food specific people, all kinds of travelers will find
something to match their taste in the this vast and wonderful state.
Shravanabelagola is the
place any traveler would want to visit. It is one of the most important
heritage sites of Karnataka and has been well known for centuries for its
magnificent Monolith of Bahubalai also Known as Gomateshwara. This place has
the spiritual aura, magnificent architectural memoirs signifying the rich
history of the place. Bahubali was a jain “Arihantha”[ someone who has reached
the stage just before the state of “Siddha” ]
The Monolith was built in
981 AD in the Vindyagiri Hill, it is a gigantic 57 feet tall, it was built by
“Chavundaraya” who was a military commander and minister in the court of the
western Ganga Dynasty of Talakad. He was also known to be a poet.
Shravanabelagola has two
hills, Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri. Chandragiri is known to have been the place
where Chandragupta Maurya did penance, and the great king Asoka built
Chandragupta Basadi to commemorate it, on this hill. Chandragiri is also known
for its other memorials of several Sravakas [ Disciples] who meditated there from the 5th
century AD. It is considered as one of
the most important Jain pilgrimages.
The “Mahamastakabhisheka”
is held every 12 years , where hundreds of liters of milk, honey, saffron,
KumKum and turmeric is used to wash this gigantic sculpture, it’s a spectacle
and definitely should be experienced once in a life time.
Many inscriptions can be
found here, dating back to the 600 AD, most of these inscriptions are in
Haleganada – or Old Kannada, describing the rise of the Western Ganga Dynasty,
the Hoysala empire, and the Wodeyar Dynasty.
This place is filled with
such historical relics and would please an historian, traveler or a person with
interest in art and history.
Sharavanabelagola is about
158 kms from Bangalore, and can be reached by Bus, or own transport easily. The
bus you will have to take in case you decide on a bus is the Hassan City bus ,
Shravanabelagola will be the next stop after Chennarayanapattina. The place can
be visited in all seasons but best season is between October and February.
Parinitha Konanur
