It was here in this rocky town on the southern plains of Karnataka in the 10th century AD- 981 CE to be precise, a message of ahimsa (non-violence), peace and renunciation of worldly pleasure was delivered. It was in the form of a monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali that Chaundaraya, Commander-in-Chief of King Rachamalla of the Ganga dynasty established.
This hallowed town of legendary times is in the midst of ‘Mahamastakabhisheka,’ which is anointing of the monolithic statue, once in 12 years. The festivities, which began on February 7 with a series of Panchakalyana rituals, are leading to Mahamastakabhisheka, happening tomorrow, February 17, and will go on till February 26.
The legend
The well-known legend has it that Chaundaraya’s mother Kalala Devi had a vision of the Lord Bahubali in her dream which her son realised through establishing the monolithic statue. The Chief also saw the vision of himself shoot an arrow standing atop the Chandragiri hill towards the adjacent hill Vindyagiri (also called Indragiri) and on the place where his arrow landed, he had the first vision of Lord Bahubali’s statue.
Bahubali was the son of Rishabhadeva and Sunanda Devi, Rishabhadeva being the first of the 24 Tirthankaras. Bahubali had brother Bharatesh and sister Sundari as siblings. According to the Sanskrit scripture, ‘Adi Purana,’ a Kavya (poem), written by Digambara monk Jinasena, Bahubali was born of the Ikshkvaku dynasty in Ayodhya. He fought his brother for supremacy and won the battle. But the violence left him disgusted Bahubali’s life took a turn when he challenged the emperor and his elder brother Bharatesha for supremacy over the clan. He defeated his brother in all three types of bout with him. The triumph did not give him happiness. Deeply moved by the violence he himself meted out on his brother he not only abdicated his position of emperor, he renounced all worldly attachments, including his family of wife Ichchadevi and son Subali to become a Digambara monk. He stood on penance and repentance for over 365 days.
Bahubali meditated in the ‘kayotsarga’ posture to attain ‘Keval jnana’ and became the first human to achieve Siddha (salvation also known as Moksha). “In this position, he meditated for one ‘Samvatsara’ (what is more or less equivalent of one year in modern calendar) Madhavi Latha (wild vines) grew around him an anthill materialised, inhabited by venomous snakes, but Bahubali never disturbed any of them; though he had no food and water he never wavered from his stance. Even today we Jains do not harm any other living being however small they are,” says Pontiff of Jain Monastery at Shravanabelagola, Charukirti Bhattaraka Swamiji.
“Despite being born in a Kshatriya clan (Ikshwaku), Bahubali was the earliest proponent of disarmament. His message is more relevant today, when nations are faced with the threat of war. The teachings of the 24 Thirthankaras after the life of Bahubali till the last Thirthankara — Mahaveera — Jainism has given the message of peace and ahimsa, going by the timeline of Rishabanatha Thirthankara,” say Jain scholars in this ancient town.
The inscription on the rocks of Chandragiri, dating back to the Ganga dynasty of Mysuru, mentions that Bhadrabahu, Jain ascetic, migrated to the South from Ujjain in the fifth century BC along with 12,000 followers and settled in Shravanabelagola, due to famine that was sweeping north India of that time. Among the disciples was the emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Bhadrabahu and 1,200 of his disciples died, say epigraphists, J.F. Fleet and R. Narasimhachar.
Filled with relics
Shravanabelagola is filled with relics. There are over 500 ‘shilashasanas’ (rock inscriptions), protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The famous epigraphist, B.L. Rice, has transcripted all the 500-odd inscriptions.
The town has an old world charm with its narrow roads and by-lanes, tiled houses with typical rustic layouts, a small market square, where farmers unload their crop to sell directly to the buyer. The town has guarded its sanctity and the values it has protected for ages. People adhere to the vegan food and resist being drawn into vices. The town of not more than 5,000 population will be quiet for 12 years after every Mahamastakabhisheka. However the Jain Mutt here receives a steady flow of Jain devotees from all over the world at least twice in a year and in small numbers throughout the year.
The main attraction is still the Bahubali statue above the Vindyagiri hill. The statue is not just majestic but wears a slight smile on the face — the kind that reflects inner peace, which comes with renunciation and fulfilment. “Standing 57-feet tall, the statue is a living monument. It is scientifically proved that the rock that has been cut into this beautiful figure of lord Bahubali is growing. It is also the tallest free standing statue in the world, cut in a single stone of granite. Every one should see the Bahubali statue at least once in their lifetime, says Swamiji.
The statue of Gomateshwara, about 18 metres high and sculpted in a living rock, is the biggest free-standing monolithic image in the world. Other figures, such as the Buddhas of Bamiyan, or the statues of Ramses II in Egypt are bigger in size, but have been carved in high relief.
First Siddha
Why is Bahubali, who is not a Tirthankara in the Jain lineage of mahamunis has been bestowed with such an important place in the Jain pantheon? The answer lies in the fact that for the Jains, Bahubali is the first siddha and Mokshagami, the soul that has attained nirvana. But more than that it is his life and the severe austerities, which he pursued, elevated him to a high plane. The colossus stands nude, in the kayotasarga pose, where the body needs no sustenance nor performs any function. It symbolises complete detachment perfectly expressing the idea of successful withdrawal from the cycle of birth and death.
It is small wonder then that this statue should have inspired more replicas. One of them was set up in Karkala in the present Dakshina Kannada in A.D. 1432. It is about 12.5 metres high and was taken up to its position on top of the hillock by a train of twenty carts equipped with steel wheels and drawn along an inclined plane. In A.D. 1604, Timmaraja, the ruler of a descendant of the famous Chaundaraya, made a 12.6 metre-high image. As the German researcher and writer on Indology, Heinrich Zimmer, commented, “The figure is human in shape and expression of respectful serenity.” In recent decades a few more such figures have been set up in different parts of India.
The book by S. Shettar traces the beginning of the story of Shravanabelagola to the arrival of the emperor Chandragupta Maurya from North India along with his guru Bhadrabahu and 12,000 monks to Chandragiribetta in 3rd century BC as quoted in one of the ‘rock inscriptions’ dating back to 600 years. Though Bhadrabahu died here, many monks had lived here thereafter and even in the modern times munis live on Chandragiri like their gurus lived in total renunciation.
