Preparations for the 11-day Mahamastakabhisheka of the 42-feet statue of Lord Bahubali, which will begin on Wednesday, are in the final stages here. The monolith statue is situated atop a hill called Bahubali Betta here.
A town of historical importance and a pilgrim centre for the Jain community, Karkala has 22 Jain basadis. It was the capital of Jain rulers belonging to the Bhairava dynasty. King Veera Pandya, a ruler of this dynasty, was responsible for installing the statue of Lord Bahubali here in 1432.
During the Mahamastakabhisheka, tender coconut water, sugarcane juice, sandalwood paste, paste made out of medicinal herbs and holy water, are poured on the statue. The statue is seen in its most beautiful form during the event. These items would be poured from 108 ‘kalashas’ from January 21 to 27, with 504 ‘kalashas’ on January 28 and 29, and with 1,008 ‘kalashas’ on January 30.
Message of non-violence
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, M.N. Rajendra Kumar, working president of the Mahamastakabhisheka committee, said the aim of the event was to spread the message of non-violence.
Instead of wooden scaffold which were used during earlier Mahamastakabhishekas, this time, a steel five-storey scaffold had been constructed behind the statue to facilitate the ritual. Each storey could hold up to 100 persons.
Seating arrangement had been made for 3,000 persons at the Bahubali Betta.
Around 18 LED screens would be put at different locations to enable people to watch the Mahamastakabhisheka. The event would also be telecast live on a local television channel.
Entertainment avenues
An exhibition would be organised in a three-and-a-half acre land below the Bahubali Betta. It would have 356 stalls which would sell commercial wares and handicrafts. There would be an amusement park at the exhibition ground for the children. Closed circuit cameras had been installed at vital locations as part of security arrangements.
Drinking water facilities would be made available at 18 places here. In addition to public functions, there would be cultural programmes daily during the festival.
BSNL and Airtel had put up an extra tower near the Bahubali Betta for better communication. Parking facilities had been made in 35 acres of land in the town. The government had spent Rs. 13.5 crore on widening and asphalting of 17 roads. The work on the remaining one road was nearing completion, Mr. Kumar said.
