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JAIN FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS honors the spiritual hero Bahubali, who is represented by a colossal fifty seven-foot image carved from rock nearly a thousand years ago. Thousands of Jains of both traditions come to pay homage during the several weeks during which the celebration goes on; Bahubali thus receives the kind of adoration otherwise reserved exclusively for Tirthankars. The image depicts Bahubali as standing erect, free of clothing and immersed in deepest meditation. For the period of the Mastaka Abhisheka, temporary scaffolding is built behind the huge statue, terminating in a platform just atop the head; thus the faithful can anoint Bähubali in the proper manner, by pouring various sacred substances (such as purified water and sandalwood paste) over the statue from above. The festivities associated with this ceremony continue for several weeks; participation in them is said to bring great merit and perhaps to make possible the experience of Samyag Darshan (Right perception) itself.
All Souls are alike and potentially divine.
None is Superior or Inferior.
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JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE
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