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Their Temples and Sacred Places : 109 photo in this book. To reach the foot of such a masterpiece, frequently pictured in art and travel guides, one has to climb 620 steps.
A very great ritual of anointing of the head “mahāmastakābhiseka” of this highly venerated Jain saint takes place here. The ceremony attracts thousands of devotees every twelve years onwards. It lasts several days during which Ācārya and devotees who give generous gifts of money have the great honour to pour, each day, 1008 pots full of water, milk, ghee, sandal, coconut juice, etc. over the statue, whereas others sing hymns, dance and express their joy.
The event is always eagerly awaited. According to Jain tradition, it takes place when the conjunction of several planets occurs in the sky. In 1993, petals of flowers were thrown from a helicopter at the end of the festival. The last “mahotsava" has taken place in February 2006.
Varanga, in the middle of a lake, a Digambara temple with a unique thatched roof, dating from the XV century, dedicated to Nemi, and two other sanctuaries nearby,
Venur, a Jain temple dedicated to śānti and a statue 38 feet high of Bāhubali dating from 1604 AD. Numerous are the pilgrims that come here, each year.
In this State, we may also mention Jain temples to visit at: Abalvadi, Alanda, Angadi, Arsikere, Bagalkot, Balambeeda, Banakhpur, Basav, Belaguli, Bhatkal, Bidar Bijapur, Chamarjnagar, Devanhalle, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Hornadu, Hosepet, Hubli, Javergi, Kamthan, Kanakagiri, Koppal, Kunigal, Malkhed, Mangalore, Mayasandra, Mumnabad, Mysore, Narasimharajpur, Nittur, Pattadakal, Saligrama, Shantigiri, Shimoga, Sonda, Srirangapatna, Stavnidhi, Swadi, etc.
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