Shravanabelagola and Lord Bahubali

Shravanabelagola is a quaint township located 148 Kms from Bangalore off  the Hassan – Bangalore highway in Karnataka,  India.

Shravanabelagola  means ‘Monk of the white pond’,  ‘belagola’ means white pond, which was said to be created  in the  town by the milk used for the first Mahamastabhisheka, or sacred anointment of the giant statue of Lord Bahubali or Gomateshwara.

View of  Shravanabelagola from atop Indragiri  hill

It dates back to 297 B.C, when Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire and grandfather of Asoka, renounced his kingdom and  came here along with his guru, Bhagwan Bhadrabahu Swami, to  become a Jain  ascetic.  He led a  life of a recluse and breathed  his last at Chandragiri  hill, which is  named after him. 

The main attraction of this place is the colossal statue of Lord Bahubali.  The Mahamasthabhisheka ceremony held once in twelve years is the most important event of this pilgrim centre attracting lakhs of devotees from all over the world.  Priests and devotees anoint the  huge image  of Lord  Bahubali from the massive scaffolding built behind the statue.  1008 kalashas of water, milk, coconut water, ghee, curd, sugar, honey, turmeric,  almonds,  saffron, jaggery, bananas, sandal paste are poured along with the chanting of mantras. The last ceremony was held from  Feb 8^th to 19^th, 2006.

The  temple dedicated to Lord Gomateshwara or Bahubali, the son of first Jain tirthankara  Vrishaba Deva (Adinath) nestles atop the 470 feet high Indragiri hill. Atop this hill stands the 58 feet and 8 inches tall sculpture of the Jain sage Gomateshwara, which Is regarded as one of the tallest monoliths in Asia.  The splendidly sculpted monolith was carved  out of a single block of granite by sculptor Aristenemi  in 981 A.D.  and was installed in 983 A.D. by Chamundaraya,  a powerful minister of Ganga King,  Rajamalla IV. 

Odegal Basti

The statue  stands upright in the posture of meditation known as Kayotsarga, indicating perfect self control and its nakedness suggests complete renunciation of worldly things.   It has curly hair, long and large ears and the eyes are open, gazing at the world with complete detachment.  The statue has no support from thighs upwards and shows an anthill growing in the background and creepers entwined on the legs and arms of the figure,  culminating in a cluster of flowers  and berries at the upper portions of the arms.  The image is shown standing on a beautifully carved lotus pedestal.    It is flanked by ornately carved mythical figures of Yaksha and Yakshi, standing in the service of the  Lord.  The sacred shrine atop the hill is accessible via a flight of 641 rock-cut steps.  On the  way up there are a number of Jain bastis or temples.   The first  is the Odegal Basti, dating back to the Hoysala period. tirthankaras,  stands the splendidly sculpted statue of Lord Gomateshwara, an epitome of grace and simplicity.

Lord Gomateshwara

Then one comes  across a small pavilion known for the  finely sculpted ‘Tyagada Brahmadeva’  pillar. This pillar was also installed by Chamundaraya.  The steps above the pavilion lead to ‘Akandabagilu’,  a huge gateway with elaborate carvings  of Gooddess  Lakshmi flanked by two elephants.  Further up one comes across two more gateways to finally enter the outer courtyrard of the Gomateshwara temple.  In the middle of the courtyard encircled by a gallery  enshrining the images of various Jain thirthankaras.

Lord Gomateshwara was the Jain prince Bahubali, the younger son of Jain emperor and the first Jain thirthankara,  Vrishabha  Deva (Adinath).  When Vrishaba Deva  renounced his kingdom and undertook the life of a hermit, his sons Bharata and Bahubali fought  fiercely to  succeed him.  Bahubali emerged  triumphant, but soon realized the  futility of war and gave the kingdom to his brother Bharata.  Bahubali renounced the world like his father and lead  a  life of penance and meditation, attaining enlightenment.

 

The  feet of the Lord with a tiny gold statue of Lord Gomateshwara

For more pictures click on the link below

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Chenna Keshava Temple of Belur - Mind blowing sculptures

My parents had taken me to Belur in Hassan District, Karnataka State sometime when I was in school when I was not in an age to appreciate art.  However, I finally got this opportunity last week, and I must say that I dont regret it one bit.  It was simply mind blowing.

Belur is a quaint little town on the banks of the river Yagachi. The Hoysala dynasty ruled this region between  the 11th and the 13th centuries.  They were great patrons of art and architecture.  The temples and monuments at Belur are indeed the best Hoysala creations. It was chosen as the capital after the Delhi sultans destroyed their capital at Dwarasamudra, also known as Halebeedu.  The temples and monuments at Belur are the best Hoysala creations.

Hoysala is named after the words 'Hoy Sala',  meaning 'strike sala' which were called out to Sala, the legendary head of this dynasty, when he was combating a tiger single handedly.  Sala killed the tiger and this act of bravery was immortalized in the royal emblem of the dynasty.The Hoysalas ruled the Deccan  and parts  of Tamil Nadu between  the 10th and 14th  centuries.

Hoysala Emblem- Sala killing the tiger single-handedly

The Chenna keshava temple is dedicated to  Lord Vijayanaryan, one of the twenty four incarnations off Vishnu.  It was built to commemorate the victory of Hoysalas over the Cholas in the great battle of Talakkad.  The construction  of the temple commenced in 1116 A.D at the instance of king Vishnuvardhana.  The construction was then continued by his son and completed by his grandson.  It took about 103 years to complete this profusely sculpted masterpiece.

Star shaped ground plan on platform

The Hoysala temples are characterized by typical star shaped ground plan set on a platform. They are compact, squat structures. The temples at Belur are carved  out of soap stone quarried from Tumkur 200 kms. away.  The huge temple complex enclosed by high walls has a 'garbha griha' (sanctum sanctorum), a 'sukhanasi' (vestibule) and  a 'navaranga mandapa'.  The complex also has many smaller shrines, mandapams and other structures.  There are two gateways,  but only one is crowned  by a gopuram, which was built in 1397,by Gunda, a general of Harihara II, after the original  Mahadwara was burnt down by Ganga Salar, an officer of Tughlaks.

Temple with the main gopuram in the background

Navaranga Mandapam

The star shaped main sanctum is a homogenous architectural unit set  on a raised  platform in the centre of a paved courtyard sorrounded by subsidiary shrines and colonnades.  The towering 'vimana' of the sanctum made of wood and  mortar was supported by wood work and plated with gold gilded coper sheets.  Unfortunately,  the  crumbling vimana had  to be dismantled in 1879,  to protect the  main sanctum. Virtually every inch of the shrine is intricately carved.  The outer walls are adorned  with carvings of elephants, lions and small female figures in ornamental niches.  No two  friezes in  the complete range are alike.   The lowest of these carved bands  has 650 elephants in different moods. The  most outstanding are the 38 freestanding bracket figures around the outside ofthe  temple and the navranga (pillared hall) The brackets are adorned with voluptous beauties known as 'Madanikas' in various dancing and ritual postures.

Madanika - free standing  bracket figure

To view more  photographs of Belur Chennakeshava  Temple click on the link  below
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