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SHRAVANABELAGOLA
-GOMATESHWARA
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Location
: Shravanabelagola is located 51 km south east of Hassan in Karnataka at
an Altitude of about 3350 feet above sea level. There are
excellent roads from Bangalor and Mysore. The nearest airport
is Banglore which at a distance of 157 km. and the nearest
railway station is Hassan. It is a little township tucked away
between Indragiri and Chandragiri hills.
The colossal rock cut
statue of saint Gommata at Shravanabelagola is the most
magnificent among all Jaina works of art. It was built
in circa 982 AD and is described as one of the mightiest
achievements of ancient Karnataka in the realm of sculptural
art. Also referred to as Lord Bahubali, the image is nude an
stands upright in the posture of meditation known as
kayotsarga, reaching a height of nearly 57 ft atop the Vindyagiri
of Doddabetta hills accessible through a flight of 500 steps.
The
image of Gommata has curly hair in ringlets and long, large
ears. His eyes are open as if viewing the world with
detachment. His facial features are perfectly chiseled with a
faint touch of a smile at the corner of his lips and embody
calm vitality. His shoulders are broad, his arms stretch
straight down and the figure has no support from the thigh
upwards.
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.There
is an anthill in the background which signifies
his incessant penance. From this anthill emerge
a snake and a creeper which twine around both his legs
and his arms culminating as a cluster of flowers
and berries at the upper portion of the arms.
The entire figure stands on an open lotus signifying
the totality attained in installing this unique
statue.
On
either side of Gommata stand two tall and majestic
chauri bearers in the service of the Lord. One of
them is a yakshi and the other one is a yakshi.
These richly ornamented and beautifully carved figures
complement the main figure. Carved on the rear
side of the anthill is also a trough for
collecting water and other ritual ingredients used for
the sacred bath of the image. Around the statue
is an enclosure of a pillared hall where one can
find 43 images of tirthankaras in different cloisters.
There is also a figure of a woman called
Gullikayajji sculpted with a good built and
wearing exquisite ornamentation, typical of the
sculptures of the Ganga period. The Akandabagilu
or the massive door, carved out of a single rock
with an elaborately carved Gajalakshmi in her typical
posture flanked by two elephants, is another
meritorious work of Jain craftsmanship. This also
said to have been under the guidance and inspiration
of Chaundaraya, the illustrious minister who
served under the successive rulers of the Gangas namely Marasimha II, Rachamalla IV and
Rachamalla V.
One of
the largest temples in the area is the Chaundarya
Basadi dedicated to Neminatha, the 22nd
Tirthankara depicted under a seven hooded canopy and
flanked by male chauri bearers. This temple is unique
in its style. It belongs to the era of the
western Gangas and is evolved out of the Chalukyan
styles at Badami and Aihole. One the same hill can be
seen the Chandraprabha Basadi dedicated to the
8th tirthankara by the same name. It is one of
the oldest basadis on the hill and can be assigned to
the early 9th century under the reign of Sivamara,
a Ganga king.
While
at Sravana Belgola one can also gain insights into
Jaina mythology through some of the finest
paintings depicted on the walls of the Sri Jains
matha. Rich in colours and harmonious in composition,
these paintings of the 18th century depict royal
processions and festivities, monks, women in
brightly coloured sarees, forest scenes of wild
animals and other topics that shed light on the
domestic, religious and social life of the
people.
Another
concrete expression of the intensity of Jaina art is
the sthambha, the free standing pillar in front
of every basadi. Elegantly carved out of granite,
these are classified as Brahmadeva Sthambha and
Manasthambha. While the former portrays the
figures of Brahmanical gods, the latter is depictive
of Jaina faith. Manasthambha pillars can be found
elsewhere in the country but the Brahmadeva
pillars are restricted to the South, a fine specimen
of which can be found in front of the gigantic statue
of Gommata at Sravanbelagola. Extremely
attractive is the Manasthambha at Mudabidri with a small shrine at the apex surrounded by four
bells and topped with a gold finial. Such pillars
at Karkala and Humcha are equally eye-catching. All
these pillars, irrespective of their connotations, are
exquisite pieces of art, elegance and decoration.
Another pillar of immense interest is the Tyagada
Brahmadevara Kamba at Sravana Belgola where
Chaundaraya has inscribed his genealogy and his
life time achievements. Only segments of the
inscription are readable.
There are
inscriptions on the slabs near the right and left foot
of the image of Gommatesvara at Sravana BELGOLA. THE
INSCRIPTION ON THE RIGHT HAND SLAB IS AS FOLLOWS :
Sri-Chamundarajam madisidam;
Sri-Chamundarajan "se" Yv 'v' ittan;
Sri-Gamgaraja suttalayavam madisida;
The
first two lines record that Chamunda Raja caused to be
made the image, at the foot of which the inscription
is engraved, and the third line that Gamgaraja caused
to be made the buildings which surround the image.
There is a verse in Vahuvali Charitra which purports to give the
excat date of the establishment of the image. That verse is as follows:
That is "Sri Chamunda Raya established the image of Gomatesa
in the city of Belgula, in Kumbha Lagna, on a sunday, the fifth day of the
bright lunar fortnight, in the month of Chaitra, in the praised yera
Vibbhava, in the Kalki age, known as 600, when the auspicious Mrigasirh
star was visible." This date lies between a period 980-984
A.D.
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