Jain Spirit 2004 06 No 19

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 48

46 ART & LITERATURE
Photo: James Maturin-Baird
Ellora
The Jain libraries in Jaisalmer contain some very old and rare manuscripts, dating back about 800 years. There are also about 700 Tirthankara idols, seven libraries and rare palm leaf manuscripts to be found here.
SHRAVANA BELGOLA, KARNATAKA
In almost all the temples built by the Jains, the principal deity is a Tirthankara. It is only at Shravana Belgola, near Mysore, that one finds the rock-hewn statue of Bahubali, the younger brother of King Bharata and son of Adinath, the first Tirthankara, standing amidst the Vindhya hills and matching them in both size and grandeur.
In the Jain pantheon Bahubali, the first soul to attain moksha, is considered equal to any Tirthankara. His shrine at Shravana Belgola is one of the most revered of Jain pilgrimage centres. Tucked away in the serene calm of the large Indragiri hills and the smaller Chandragiri hills, the monolithic statue leaves the visitor spellbound. The crowds that throng Shravana Belgola during his mahamastakabhisheka ceremony bear testimony to this fact.
Photo: Robert Radin
Bahubli, Shravanabelagola
Photo: James Maturin-Baird
The 18-metre-high statue was built by Chamundaraya in 983 AD. Chamundaraya was a general of the Ganga dynasty, which was founded by a Digambara monk called Simhanandi around 265 BC. The statue stands nude in a yogic posture, the body in complete control and totally detached from the material world. The figure is no doubt human, but gives the impression of being part of eternity, an embodiment of pure spirituality.
An idol becomes sacred after it has undergone certain rites of consecration. Sage Kashyapa says in the Yajur Veda that the images of gods should be bathed every day before they are worshipped. But the Bahubali statue is so colossal that it is impossible to perform this ritual daily, therefore only its feet are bathed every day. The full bath ceremony, called the mahamastakabhishekha, is performed when the configuration of beneficial planets are at their most auspicious, once every 12 or 15 years.