The Journey of Faith – Shravanabelagola Anointing Ceremony of Lord Bahubali

Back in 2018, I had the opportunity to witness an iconic cultural event that happens once every 12 years. As a Travel Photographer, I longingly documented this fantastic cultural event.

Equipped with just a Nikon D750 and a 24-120 lens, I witnessed one of the greatest events of my lifetime

One of the most ancient and historical places is Shravanabelagola, a small and peaceful town located 144 kilometres away from Bengaluru. This town is famous for the Gommateshwara Bahubali statue, dedicated to Lord Bahubali, one of Jainism's most revered figures. It is one of Jainism's most important pilgrimage destinations. Shravanabelagola has a history of thousands of years, going back to the period of the Ganga dynasty.

This sleepy town truly comes to life once every 12 years to witness The Mahamastakabhisheka (the anointment ceremony of Lord Bahubali). The last time, the ceremony took place was in 2006.

The Statue of Lord Bahubali standing at 57 feet in height

The Gommateshwara statue is dedicated to the Jain Lord Bahubali. It was built around 983 A.D. and is one of the largest free-standing monoliths in the world.

To get to the statue one must climb the Vindyagiri Hill, which can be a daunting especially to the old pilgrims.

February 7th, 2018 witnessed the grand anointing ceremony of Lord Bahubali atop Vindhyagiri in Shravanabelagola, thought the mega event was performed for nine days, the anointment would continue every Sunday till the end of June 2018, so that the people who could not participate in those auspicious 9 days could witness. I was one of them.

It’s a long climb to the top of the mountain, and you can feel the excitement and energy as you take the steps.

Even though the climb can become tough, the people are resilient and eventually make it to the top with some help as well

Here, during the time of The Mahamastakabhisheka, one can witness the statue of Lord Bahubali being anointed with water followed by the statue is then bathed and anointed with milk, sugarcane juice, and saffron paste, and sprinkled with powders of sandalwood, turmeric, and vermilion

The Mighty Bow, A Jain monk picks some of the flowers from the feet of the Lord Bahubali

Celebration of faith, devotees witness Mahamastakabhisheka 2018

Some of the glimpses of the iconic event of the anointment ceremony of Lord Bahubali

Written by: Sunkeerthi Shanmugasamy

Last updated: 13-12-2024

Sunkeerthi has over 7 years of experience in the industry in various genres of photography. He has a Masters degree in Professional photography from one of the most well known photography schools - Spéos, Paris. He has worked with multiple brands and designers in Paris and India.

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