Gommateshvara

Shravana-Belagola is known all over the world for its colossal image of Bahubali or Gommateshvara, which is regarded as one of the Wonders of the World. Shravana Belagola is one of the most important religious and celebrated Jain centres in Karnataka. The chief monument on the hill, indeed one of the important in all of India, is the figure of Gommateshvara or Bahubali. Approximately 17.7 metres high, it was built in A.D. 981 by the Ganga general Chamundaraya. The huge proportions of the graceful colossus, whose head is anointed on a particular day when the conjunction of planets is favourable, after an interval of approximately 12 years, by thousand of priests and pilgrims, gives spectacular character to the ritual. Hence, the “Mahamastakabhisheka” ceremony is popularly known as the “Grand Festival of Shravana-Belagola”.

 

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) using interactive multimedia tools attempted to present the arts and rituals associated with the colossal image of Bahubali or Gommateshvara at Shravana-Belagola.