Bahubali

1
Bahubali
Not to be confused with Baahubali.
Bahubali monolith of Shravanabelagola dates
from 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-century
Kannada text by poet Adikavi Pampa (fl. 941 CE), written in Champu
style, a mix of prose and verse and spread over in sixteen cantos, deals
with the ten lives of the first tirthankara, Rishabha and his two sons,
Bharata and Bahubali.
[1]
According to the Digambaras he was the first
human in this half time cycle to attain liberation.
[2]
A monolithic statue of Bahubali referred to as "Gommateshvara" built
by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chamundaraya is a 57
feet (17m) monolith and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola,
in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was built in the 10th
century AD.Wikipedia:Citation needed Hundreds of thousands of
pilgrims, devotees and tourists from all over the world flock to the
statue once in 12 years for an event known as Mahamastakabhisheka.
On August 5, 2007, the statue was voted by Indians as the first of
Seven Wonders of India. 49% votes went in favor of this marvel.
Meditation
The fight with his brother, Bharat, troubled Bahubali. So after much
contemplation, he decided to give up his kingdom and take up the
ascetic life. He took to meditation with a thirst for truth, but - it was for
ego that he took to meditation on his own. Among monks who accept
monastic vows, one must bow to all others who have accepted ascetism
previously, regardless of age. Bahubali knew that if he went to Lord
Rishabdev (Aadinath) for permission to take monastic vows, he would
have to bow down to all his 98 younger brothers, who had renounced
before him. Bahubali began meditating with great resolve to attain
supreme knowledge, but did not succeed because of his ego, which
stopped him from visiting his father's court, did not allow him to attain
Keval Gyaana,the enlightenment.
However, Bahubali was adamant. He continued his practice unmindful
of the vines, ants, and dust which enveloped his body. His sisters
Brhami and Sundari were concerned and asked Tirthankar Adinath
about their worldly brother Bahubali. Tirthankar Adinath said ,
although just moments away from enlightenment, Bahubali could not
achieve it because he didn't realise that he was standing on 'the
elephant' - Ego. Now understanding his folly, the sisters approached
him 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 I
really standing on any kind of elephant?". From this question he soon
realised that the elephant he was standing upon was his pride and ego.
Bahubali realised his mistake and shed his pride and ego. He had just
lifted his feet to go and bow, when, truth and enlightenment dawned
upon him. Blessed with the knowledge of Truth, Bahubali went to see
his father who welcomed him. Bahubali began teaching and showing
people the right path.
Bahubali is a major figure in Jain hagiography. His story exemplifies
the inner strength of Indian culture. He won everything from his
brother and could have become an emperor, but he returned everything
to the brother. Bahubali is considered the ideal of the man who
conquers selfishness, jealousy, pride and anger.
Gomateswara in Karkala
Statues of Bahubali
There are 5 monolithic statues of Bahubali in Karnataka measuring
more 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 CE
The Bahubali Atishayakshetra with Bahubali in standing posture is situated on about 50 steps up and 28 feet in high
at 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 of
Indore, on the Airport road. It is a good miniature copy of the original statue at Shravanabelagola.
Bahubali
3
The Gommateshvara Bahubali statue at Shravanbelagola
Main article: Shravanbelagola
Gomateshwara, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka,
India
The colossal monolithic statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is
158km away from Bangalore. This gigantic statue of Bahubali, who is
considered a Siddha (one who has attained salvation), is carved out of a
single block of granite and stands majestically on top of a hill. For
centuries, Shravanabelagola has remained a great pilgrimage center
and 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 the
world. It was created around 983 AD by Chavundaraya, a minister of
the Ganga King, Rachamalla (Raachmalla SathyaVaak IV 975-986 AD). Neighboring areas have Jaina bastis and
several 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 of
Gommateshvara is bathed in milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. This statue is now proposed as World
Heritage 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 Contributors
Bahubali 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 Contributors
File:Shravanabelagola2007 - 11.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Shravanabelagola2007_-_11.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5
Contributors: Ilya Mauter
File: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:shivanayak
File:Venur - Bahubali.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Venur_-_Bahubali.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Vikas m at en.wikipedia
File:Gomateshwara of Dharmasthala.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gomateshwara_of_Dharmasthala.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Contributors: Abdulla Al Muhairi from Abu Dhabi, UAE
File:Gomateswara Karkala Karnataka.webm Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gomateswara_Karkala_Karnataka.webm License: Creative Commons
Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Psubhashish
File:Gomateshvara Statue Img456.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gomateshvara_Statue_Img456.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
Contributors: Benjamn Preciado Centro de Estudios de Asia y frica de El Colegio de Mxico
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
//creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/