The Journey of Faith – Shravanabelagola Anointing Ceremony of Lord Bahubali
Back in 2018, I had the opportunity to witness an iconic cultural event. An event that happens once in 12 years. As a Travel Photographer, I was longing to document this wonderful 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, one of the most important pilgrimage destinations for Jainism. This town has a history of thousand years going back to the period of the Ganga dynasty.
This sleepy town once every 12 years truly comes to life to witness The Mahamastakabhisheka (the anointment ceremony of Lord Bahubali). Last time, the ceremony took place in the year 2006.
The Statue of Lord Bahubali standing at 57 feet in height
The Gommateshwara statue is dedicated to the Jain god 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, and it could be a daunting task 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 atop the mountain, and one can feel the excitement and energy as we 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 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 Bahubali
Celebration of faith, devotees witness Mahamastakabhisheka 2018
Some of the glimpses of the iconic event of the anointment ceremony of Bahubali
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