Bahubali 1

BahubaliNot to be confused with Baahubali.

Bahubali monolith of Shravanabelagola datesfrom 978-993 CE.

Bahubali monolith of Karkala (1432 CE)

Bahubali (Sanskrit: ) also called Gomateshwara (Kannada: Tulu: ) was an Arihant. According to

Jainism, he was the second of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara,Rishabha and king of Podanpur. The Adipurana, a 10th-centuryKannada text by poet Adikavi Pampa (fl. 941 CE), written in Champustyle, a mix of prose and verse and spread over in sixteen cantos, dealswith the ten lives of the first tirthankara, Rishabha and his two sons,Bharata and Bahubali.[1] According to the Digambaras he was the firsthuman in this half time cycle to attain liberation.[2]

A monolithic statue of Bahubali referred to as "Gommateshvara" builtby the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chamundaraya is a 57feet (17m) monolith and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola,in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was built in the 10thcentury AD.Wikipedia:Citation needed Hundreds of thousands ofpilgrims, devotees and tourists from all over the world flock to thestatue once in 12 years for an event known as Mahamastakabhisheka.On August 5, 2007, the statue was voted by Indians as the first ofSeven Wonders of India. 49% votes went in favor of this marvel.

Meditation

The fight with his brother, Bharat, troubled Bahubali. So after muchcontemplation, he decided to give up his kingdom and take up theascetic life. He took to meditation with a thirst for truth, but - it was forego that he took to meditation on his own. Among monks who acceptmonastic vows, one must bow to all others who have accepted ascetismpreviously, regardless of age. Bahubali knew that if he went to LordRishabdev (Aadinath) for permission to take monastic vows, he wouldhave to bow down to all his 98 younger brothers, who had renouncedbefore him. Bahubali began meditating with great resolve to attainsupreme knowledge, but did not succeed because of his ego, whichstopped him from visiting his father's court, did not allow him to attainKeval Gyaana,the enlightenment.

However, Bahubali was adamant. He continued his practice unmindfulof the vines, ants, and dust which enveloped his body. His sistersBrhami and Sundari were concerned and asked Tirthankar Adinathabout their worldly brother Bahubali. Tirthankar Adinath said ,although just moments away from enlightenment, Bahubali could notachieve it because he didn't realise that he was standing on 'theelephant' - Ego. Now understanding his folly, the sisters approachedhim and said, Oh my dear brother, at least now get down from the

Bahubali 2

Bahubali monolith of Venur (1604 CE)

Bahubali monolith of Dharmasthala (1973 CE)

elephant. These words from his sisters led Bahubali to question "Am Ireally standing on any kind of elephant?". From this question he soonrealised that the elephant he was standing upon was his pride and ego.Bahubali realised his mistake and shed his pride and ego. He had justlifted his feet to go and bow, when, truth and enlightenment dawnedupon him. Blessed with the knowledge of Truth, Bahubali went to seehis father who welcomed him. Bahubali began teaching and showingpeople the right path.Bahubali is a major figure in Jain hagiography. His story exemplifiesthe inner strength of Indian culture. He won everything from hisbrother and could have become an emperor, but he returned everythingto the brother. Bahubali is considered the ideal of the man whoconquers selfishness, jealousy, pride and anger.

Gomateswara in Karkala

Statues of Bahubali

There are 5 monolithic statues of Bahubali in Karnataka measuringmore than 20 feet in height.

57 feet at Shravanabelagola in Hassan District in 981 CE 42 feet at Karkala in Udupi District in 1432 CE 39 feet at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada District in 1973 CE 35 feet at Venur in Dakshina Kannada District in 1604 CE

20 feet at Gommatagiri in Mysore District in 12th Century CEThe Bahubali Atishayakshetra with Bahubali in standing posture is situated on about 50 steps up and 28 feet in highat Kumbhoj, Kolhapur, Maharashtra.One recently carved statue of Bahubali is located at Dharmasthala. A statue is also being carved in Gujarat.As recently as 20 years ago, a huge statue of lord Gommateshwara was built at Gommatgiri, 14 kilometres north ofIndore, on the Airport road. It is a good miniature copy of the original statue at Shravanabelagola.

Bahubali 3

The Gommateshvara Bahubali statue at ShravanbelagolaMain article: Shravanbelagola

Gomateshwara, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka,India

The colossal monolithic statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is158km away from Bangalore. This gigantic statue of Bahubali, who isconsidered a Siddha (one who has attained salvation), is carved out of asingle block of granite and stands majestically on top of a hill. Forcenturies, Shravanabelagola has remained a great pilgrimage centerand thousands of pilgrims flock to see the magnificent, gigantic statue.The saint is shown completely nude, in the Jain custom. It is 17 m.(55ft) high and is visible from a distance of 30km.

This statue is regarded as one of the largest monolithic statues in theworld. It was created around 983 AD by Chavundaraya, a minister ofthe Ganga King, Rachamalla (Raachmalla SathyaVaak IV 975-986 AD). Neighboring areas have Jaina bastis andseveral images of the Tirthankaras. One can have a beautiful view of the surrounding areas from the top of the hill.At Shravanabelagola, the Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held once in 12 years, when the image ofGommateshvara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. This statue is now proposed as WorldHeritage Site by the Government of India.

References[1] History of Kannada literature (http:/ / www. kamat. com/ kalranga/ kar/ literature/ history2. htm)[2][2] p.120

Further reading Champat Rai Jain (1929). "XI: Bahubali" (http:/ / www. archive. org/ stream/

RisabhaDeva-TheFounderOfJainism/ RisabhaDeva-TheFounderOfJainismByChampatRaiJain#page/ n165/ mode/2up/ search/ Bahubali). Risabha Deva - The Founder of Jainism. K. Mitra, Indian Press, Allahabad. p.139.

Article Sources and Contributors 4

Article Sources and ContributorsBahubali Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=602588835 Contributors: 069952497a, Aayush18, Abhi madhani, Adityajain1612, Ak2431989, Ashycool, Avishekray, Bepp,Bharatshah, Chakreshsinghai, Chirags, Cocytus, Crazy.astronaut, DaGizza, Delusion23, Devanshu, Dubywinks, EamonnPKeane, Ekabhishek, Fconaway, Flyer22, Gaura79, Gilliam, Hibernian,Hindijin, Hstblomma, I dream of horses, Indian Chronicles, Jack1956, Jainvaibhav1307, Jason Quinn, Khazar2, Kwamikagami, Live2maddy, MER-C, Magioladitis, Maqs, MisterSpike, Monilg,Nijgoykar, Nishantjain18, Nizil Shah, Ogress, Opticana, Pernoctator, Pnrangan, Pseudofusulina, Psubhashish, Qmwne235, Rahul RJ Jain, Rich Farmbrough, Rickard Vogelberg, SDC,ShelfSkewed, Srithern, Superzoulou, Svpnikhil, The Rahul Jain, Trappist the monk, Vedamurthy.j, Virushabadoss V, Vuvar1, Wiki-uk, , , 76 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Shravanabelagola2007 - 11.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Shravanabelagola2007_-_11.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5Contributors: Ilya MauterFile:Karkala gomateshwara.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Karkala_gomateshwara.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors:user:shivanayakFile:Venur - Bahubali.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Venur_-_Bahubali.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Vikas m at en.wikipediaFile:Gomateshwara of Dharmasthala.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gomateshwara_of_Dharmasthala.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0Contributors: Abdulla Al Muhairi from Abu Dhabi, UAEFile:Gomateswara Karkala Karnataka.webm Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gomateswara_Karkala_Karnataka.webm License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:PsubhashishFile:Gomateshvara Statue Img456.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gomateshvara_Statue_Img456.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share AlikeContributors: Benjamn Preciado Centro de Estudios de Asia y frica de El Colegio de Mxico

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

BahubaliMeditationStatues of BahubaliThe Gommateshvara Bahubali statue at Shravanbelagola

ReferencesFurther reading

License