Journey Around Chikmagalur


Gomatesvara, Sravanabelagola | Hoysalesvara Temple, Halebid Chennakesava Temple, Belur | Chikmagalur Golf Club | Cascades Hill
Resort &Spa site | Muthodi Wildlife Sanctuary | Mullayyanagiri peak
Hebbe Falls, Kemmangundi | Sringeri | White-water rafting, Agumbe Kudremukh range | Cascades Hill Resort & Spa

Photograph by Dr Manoj C. Sindhgi, A.R.P.S.

Gomatesvara, Sravanabelagola
(enroute from Bangalore, 150 km before Chikmagalur)

Our journey to places of interest around Chikmagalur begins at the statue of the Jain saint Gomatesvara, on Indragiri (also known as Vindhyagiri) Hill in Sravanabelagola—one of the most important Jain pilgrimage destinations in India.

Sravanabelagola is the site of the world's tallest monolithic statue. Standing 58 feet high and carved from a single rock, the statue of Gomatesvara was sculpted in 981 A.D. It can be seen from a distance of 24 kilometres. The statue was commissioned by the Ganga King Rachamalla, created by the sculptor Aristanemi and erected under the supervision of his general Chavundaraya.

Steps going up Indragiri Hill

Art historian James Fergusson believes that "Nothing grander or more imposing exists anywhere out of Egypt". The statue is remarkable both for its size and the artistic control exercised by the sculptor. The intensity of Gomatesvara's meditation is portrayed by the serenity on his face; the creepers that have begun to climb, undisturbed, up his legs and the snakes lying at his feet.

Every 12 years, the statue of Gomatesvara is anointed with milk, curds, ghee, saffron, flowers and gold coins, in a spectacular ceremony known as the Mahamastakabhisheka or Great Bath, attended by tens of thousands of devotees from all over India. The Mahamastakabhisheka will take place between the 8th and 19th of February 2006.

Several Jain bastis (temples) and monasteries are located on both Indragiri Hill and nearby Chandragiri Hill.

Gomatesvara was the son of the first tirthankara or Jain saint, King Rishabdeva of Ayodhya, also known as Adinatha. Beset by unhappiness after defeating his brother in a battle over their father's kingdom, Gomatesvara renounced the world and sought enlightenment.

The seeds of Jainism in Karnataka were sown in the 3rd century B.C., when Emperor Chandragupta Maurya renounced his kingdom and came to Sravanabelagola, accompanied by his guru Bhadrabahu.