Shravanabelagola: A Sacred Jain Pilgrimage Site in Karnataka

Visit Shri Kshetra Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: [ɕɾɐ.ʋɐˈɳɐ bɛ.ɭɐ.go.ɭɐ]) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 144 km (89 mi) from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage destinations) in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural activity under the patronage of the Western Ganga dynasty of Talakad. Chandragupta Maurya is said to have died on the hill of Chandragiri, which is located in Shravanabelagola, in 298 BCE after he became a Jain monk and assumed an ascetic life style.[2]

Gommateshwara statue, Akkana Basadi, Chandragupta basadi, Chamundaraya Basadi, Parshvanath Basadi and inscriptions of Shravanabelagola group of monuments are listed as Adarsh Smarak Monument by Archaeological Survey of India.[3]

Location

Shravanabelagola is located at 11 km (6.8 mi) to the south-east of Channarayapatna in the Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district of Karnataka. It is at a distance of 51 km (32 mi) south-east of Hassan, Karnataka, the district centre. It is situated at a distance of 12 km (7.5 mi) to the south from the Bengaluru-Mangaluru road (NH-75), 18 km (11 mi) from Hirisave, 78 km (48 mi) from Halebidu, 89 km (55 mi) from Belur, 83 km (52 mi) from Mysuru, 144 km (89 mi) from Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka and 222 km (138 mi) from Mangaluru.

Sacred places are spread over two hills, Chandragiri and Vindyagiri, and also among the villages at the foothills.[4]

Etymology

The pond in the middle of the town, after which it is named, Beḷagoḷa “White Pond”

Shravanabelagola "White Pond of the Shravana" is named with reference to the colossal image of Gommaṭa - the prefix Śravaṇa serves to distinguish it from other Belagolas with the prefixes Hale- and Kodi-, while Beḷagoḷa "white pond" is an allusion to the pond in the middle of the town.[5][4] The Sanskrit equivalents Śvetasarovara, Dhavalasarovara and Dhavalasarasa used in the inscriptions that support this meaning.[6] There are more than 560 inscriptions in Shravabelagola.[3]

Some inscriptions mention the name of the place as Beḷgoḷa, which has given rise to another derivation from the plant Solanum ferox (hairy-fruited eggplant). This derivation is in allusion to a tradition which says that a pious old woman completely anointed the colossal image with the milk brought by her in a gullakayi or eggplant. The place is also designated as Devara Beḷgoḷa "White Pond of the God" and Gommaṭapuram "city of Gommaṭa" in some epigraphs.[6]

History

Statue of Emperor Bharata.

Shravanabelagola has two hills, Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri. Acharya Bhadrabahu and his pupil Chandragupta Maurya are believed to have meditated there.[7][8] Chandragupta Basadi, which was dedicated to Chandragupta Maurya, was originally built there by Ashoka in the third century BCE.[9] Chandragiri also has memorials to numerous monks and Śrāvakas who have meditated there since the fifth century CE, including the last king of the Rashtrakuta dynasty of Manyakheta. Chandragiri also has a famous temple built by Chavundaraya.[10]

The 58-feet tall monolithic statue of Gommateshwara is located on Vindyagiri.[11][12] It is considered to be the world's largest monolithic statue. The base of the statue has an inscription in Prakrit, dating from 981 CE. The inscription praises the king who funded the effort and his general, Chavundaraya, who erected the statue for his mother.[11] Every twelve years, thousands of devotees congregate here to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a spectacular ceremony in which the statue is anointed with Water, Turmeric, Rice flour, Sugar cane juice, Sandalwood paste, saffron, and gold and silver flowers.[13][14] Recently Mahamastakabhisheka was held in 2018 during feb month. The next Mahamastakabhisheka will be held in 2030.[15]

Shravanabelagola, nestled by the Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri Hills, protected by the monolith Bhagwan Bahubali, and home to over 2,300 years of Jain heritage, is a veritable picture postcard of our history and heritage spanning the centuries.[10] In the town of Shravanabelagola, stands a colossal rock-cut statue of Gommateshwara Shri Bahubali. About eight hundred odd inscriptions which the Karnataka Archeological Department has collected at the place are mostly Jaina and cover a very extended period from 600 to 1830 CE. Some refer even to the remote time of Chandragupta Maurya and also relate the story of the first settlement of Jains at Shravanabelagola.[16] That this village was an acknowledged seat of learning is proved from the fact that a priest from here named Akalanka was in 788 CE summoned to the court of Himasitala at Kanchi where having confuted the Buddhists in public disputation, he was instrumental in gaining their expulsion from the South of India to Ceylon.[17][18]

Inscriptions

Kannada inscription at Odegal Basadi

More than 800 inscriptions have been found at Shravanabelagola, dating to various times from 600 CE to 1830 CE. A large number of these are found in the Chandragiri and the rest can be seen in the Vindhyagiri Hill and the town. Most of the inscriptions at the Chandragiri date back before the 10th century. These inscriptions include texts in the Kannada. The second volume of Epigraphia Carnatica, written by B. Lewis Rice, is dedicated to the inscriptions found here. It is said to be the oldest Marathi inscription. The inscriptions are written in Purvahalagannada (Ancient Kannada) and Halegannada (Old Kannada) characters. Some of these inscriptions mention the rise and growth in power of the Western Ganga Dynasty, the Rashtrakutas, the Hoysala Empire, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Udaiyaar dynasty. These inscriptions have helped modern scholars to understand the nature and development of the Kannada language and its literature.[19]

Tyagada Brahmadeva Pillar is a decorated freestanding pillar (lit, Stambha), 2.3 m (7.5 ft) tall, commissioned by Chamundaraya.[20] The pillar dates to around 983 CE and exists on the Vindyagiri hill (called Dodda Betta in local Kannada language.[21] On the base of the pillar, on the north side, is an inscription in old Kannada language of the same period.[22]