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The temple town of Shravanabelagola gets its name from its pond, Kalyani. Belagola or Bili kola meaning white pond, which became Shravanabelagola, with the visit of many jain monks called Sharavanas. The pond which is said to have been formed by the milk poured by Gullakayajji(visit the link to know the story) on Bahubali idol on Vindhyagiri Hill.

As we ascend the Vindhyagiri hill further ahead of Odegal Basadi and take few steps, we stand in front of the Akhanda Bagilu or the Monolothic Gateway. Carved out of a single boulder, the gateway has  Gajalakshmi panel above the door lintel. Goddess Lakshmi is seated on a lotus, flanked by two elephants who anoint the goddess with pots in their trunks. Crocodiles and lions form the upper part of the panel. Showcasing one of the best craftsmanship of Ganga dynasty, this is considered to be one of the finest and largest reliefs of Gajalakshmi in the country.

 On either side of the gate way are small shrines dedicated to Bharatha and Bahubali. A big boulder adjoining the left shrine has inscriptions and carvings of many Jain monks. They are said to be Bharatha's sons, called Mooka Makkalu or dumb children. While few call them dumb, other write ups say, they kept silent by choice. All these monks are said to have attained enlightenment with their grand father, the first thirthankara, Adhinatha.

While the doorway is assigned to 980AD, the two shrines are said to be added around 1130AD by Bharathamayya, a general of king Hoysala Vishnuvardhana.


Check our the complete Mahamasthakabhisheka Series here.

 After the completion of the carving of the Bahubali idol, Chamundaraya arranged for the first Mahamastakabhisheka, the grand celebration. People gathered in thousands to have a glimpse of the idol which everyone was speaking about. An idol which was one of the best of its times. Chamundaraya had no limits to his pride, of getting the idol carved. Vessels of milk were carried up the hill to perform the ritual. The ceremony started and the milk was poured on the idol vessel after vessel. To everyone's surprise, the milk never reached the foot of the idol, it flowed down the head, face, chest and disappeared as a miracle before reaching the foot. More milk was poured to wet the idol, but everything went vain. Nobody could trace what the reason was. An old lady carried a cup of milk and wished to offer the blessing of the lord by pouring the milk on the idol. People laughed at her, but later allowed. To the surprise of everyone, a cup of milk poured by the old lady gushed from the idol's head like a stream past the feet and flowed down the hill to form the pond of milk at the foot of the Vindhyagiri Hill. So did the temple town get its name Belagola or Bili Kola meaning white pond or milky pond in Kannada. This incident broke Chamundaraya's pride, his pride of getting one of the biggest and beautiful idols carved. He immediately bowed down to the idol and asked for his forgiveness, the Mastakabhisheka was done with devotion. 

'Bahubali', which means 'one with strong arms' "Bahubali Bhagwanka Masthakabhishek, Masthakabhishek Mahamasthakabhishek"

The song which every jain kid like me knows and recalls the Mahamasthakabhisheka, everytime he/she hears it. 

Mahamasthakabhisheka is a celebration, a festivity which every Jain waits for, a celebration, celebrated once in every 12 years. The celebration, where the 57ft tall Monolithic idol is bathed(abhisheka) with pure water, milk, sugarcane, tender coconut water, khashaya(water with mixed herbs), rice flour, sandalwood paste, saffron paste, turmeric paste ending with sprinkling of fresh flowers so called pushpa rushti.

For me, I have heard about Mahamasthakabhisheka from my great grandmom, grand parents and my parents, the celebrations from 1953, 1967, 1981 and 1993, 2006 which I have witnessed myself. While my grandmom narrated the stories of her homestay in Shravanbeloga for months during 1953 Mahamasthakabhisheka, I myself recall my memories of 1993, when we used to visit our grand parents in Shravanabelagola almost every weekend during the six months long celebration.

As you climb up the hill, Chikkabetta/Chandragiri and the pond as seen from Vindhyagiri

Shravanbelagola is a Jain pilgrimage in the southern part of Karnataka state of India. Nestled between two hills Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri, the place was called Belagola/Bili gola meaning white pond in Kannada, for the pond it has, later became Shravanabelagola, with the visit of many Jain monks(Shravan) to this place. It is known for the 57ft tall granite Monolithic statue of Gommateshwar Bhagwan Bahubali at the summit of Vindhyagiri.

The first glimpse of the idol as you enter the final fortress.

The history of the statue and celebration dates back to 981AD. Chamundaraya, was the Prime Minister in the kingdom of King Rachamalla of Ganga dynasty. His mother Kalaladevi who had heard about Emerald statue of Bahubali at Paudanapura, wanted to visit Paundanapur to have a look. She vowed of not having even a cup of milk till she saw the statue of Bahubali. While nobody knew where Paudanapura was, some assumed it had drowned and few thought it was in thick forests. With his mother's determined vow to see the idol, Chamundaraya along with his mother and few followers went in search of Paudanapura. While they camped at the foothills of Vindhyagiri during their search, Chamundaraya had a dream. In his dream goddess Kushmandinidevi appeared and told him to shoot an arrow to the boulder at the summit of Vindhyagiri which would highlight the boulder with the statue of Bhagawan Bahubali. Chamundaraya when woke up went with his dream and an arrow was shot at the boulder on Vidhyagiri, which resembled the one seen in his dream. Soon the rock slit and a beautiful image of Bahubali was visible. It was now to be carved into an idol, the hill which was full of pits,stones and thorny shrubs was cleared to get to the top to work. Soon the best of the best sculpturers Harishtanemi  was hired to carve the idol. It took 12 years for the statue to be carved and perform the first Mahamasthakabhisheka in 981AD.
Then after the ritual of bathing the idol once in every 12 years had been practised. Its just not ritual, but this bathing with milk, herbs, saffron and other liquids increases the longevity of the granite idol which has survived the wildest winds, rains and sun over the years.

57ft tall magnificent monolothic statue of Bhagawan Bahubali

Bowing at the foot of this magnificent idol, would wash away all sins.

The anthills, creepers which grew on this body, while he stood in deep penance

 You need to climb 647 steps to reach the idol. Apart from the Bahubali idol, there are eight small and large temples, four mantaps, two ponds, five gateways or fortresses, three pillars, two arches and 172 inscriptions. These, in Kannada, Sanskrti, Marvadi Mahajani, Tamil and Marathi, date from the late 10th to 19th century A.D.

Travel Tips:
Shravanabelagola is 157 km from Bangalore and 52 km from Hassan
By Road: Shravanabelagola is well connected by direct buses from Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan. You can also take any bus playing between Bangalore-Mangalore, Bangalore-Hassan and get down at Channarayapatna, which is 12km and take another bus to Shravanabelagola. But check prior boarding these buses, as these days the buses are non stop and do not stop in Channarayapatna.
By Train: Shravanabelagola has railway station and there are trains, playing to Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan.
By Air: Nearest Airport is Bangalore Airport which is around 165km.

Accommodation:
There are yatri niwas and rooms for Jain in Shravanabelagola, for non-jain if you are looking for neat and good stay options, stay at Hassan which is 52km.

This is 2006 Mahamasthakabhisheka pic I had clicked then with my Nokia 6600, remember the best camera phone of that time

Mahamasthakabhisheka Mahotsava is scheduled from 17th Feb to 25th Feb 2018. There will be daily rituals for these nine days and then on based on sponsors for next few months, you can call and check at 081762 57258


Check our the complete Mahamasthakabhisheka Series here.

Bharatha gets a beautiful Emerald idol of Bahubali carved in his capital Paudanapura. He replicates the creepers, the anthills which grew on him while meditating, and these became the symbol of Bahubali over the years and you can find them in any of Bahubali's idols even today.

PS: Those are the paintings kept at the temple entrance in Shravanbelagola, depicting Bahubali's life, not in the same order though.

Check our the complete Mahamasthakabhisheka Series here.

Jainism is the religion which mainly believes in the principle of Ahimsa or Non-violence. A religion, which is Anaadi, meaning neither has a start nor an end and believe in re-birth. The final goal of life is to cross over the stream of birth and death, to attain liberation. While there are thousands of souls who have attained liberation over the infinite life time, Jains mainly worship 24 Thirthankaras.
While Hinduism believe in Yugas, we call them kala, Awasarpini Kala and Uthsarpini Kala. Awasaripini signifying deterioration, Uthsarpini recovery. 6 kalas or periods, deteriorate from 1 to 6, with the reduction in physical appearance and happiness. While 1st(Sukhama Sukhama - very good), 2nd(Sukhama - good) and 3rd(Sukhama Dashama - Good bad) have the best of luxury, without suffering and best illustrated by Kalparuksha, a wish granting tree, without even the need for farming. 4th kala, chaturthakala(Dukhama Sukhama - Bad Good) is the transition from good to bad, where bad takes over good. 5th(Dukhama- bad) the present kala and 6th(Dukhama Dukhama - very bad) which gets even worse. After the end of Awasarpini kala, the direction gets reversed and the goodness recovers gradually from 6th to 1st. As per Jainism it is in the 4th kala, that the 24 thirthankaras are born, a transition from good to bad, when there is need for a teacher to guide you and get out of the worst. Its said the first thirthankara teaches the world with 6 things, Asi(Protection), Masi(Writing), Krushi(farming), Vanijya(Trade and commerce), Vidhya(knowledge), Shilp(crafts) to the people, which was not known and needed in the first 3 periods.
Adinatha is the first Thirthankara of the present Awasarpini kala, while Mahavira is the last. While most people call Mahavira the founder of Jainism, we believe him to be the follower of Jainism and as a thirthankara. There were thirthankaras in the past chaturthakalas and there will be in future chaturthakalas as well, which makes the religion Anaadi. 

Our first prayer Namokara Mantra 

Namo Arihanthanam - Bow to Arihanth(Lord just below attaining liberation)

Namo Siddhanam - Bow to Siddh Parameshti(Lord after attaining liberation)

Namo Aayariyanam - Bow to Acharyas(The leaders of the group of Monks)

Namo Uvvajyayanam - Bow to Upadhyayas(The teachers in the group of Monks)

Namo Loye Savva Sahunam - Bow to Sarva Sadhu(All the Monks)

As per Jainism its only in human life and in chaturthakala a person can get liberation. Liberation can be attained only after nullifying your good and bad deeds. Yes, you will have to enjoy and finish your good deeds as well to attain liberation. Thirthakaras go through the life like a normal human, childhood, youth, a jain monk, and just before attaining liberation he is in this Arihanthavastha, a state where he is in the air and dedicates this last days preaching all the living things in the universe, the monks, the humans, animals. This gathering is called Samavasharana. The Samavasharana headed by the Dharma Chakra moves from place to place, preaching. And finally the soul of the Thirthakara leaves the body to attain liberation to become Siddhathma. 

Here is the glimpse of Samavasharana at the Samavasharana Mandir in Shravanabelagola. It is on the top floor of Yatri Niwas opposite to Dharam Chakra.

Travel Tips:
Shravanabelagola is 157 km from Bangalore and 52 km from Hassan
By Road: Shravanabelagola is well connected by direct buses from Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan. You can also take any bus playing between Bangalore-Mangalore, Bangalore-Hassan and get down at Channarayapatna, which is 12km and take another bus to Shravanabelagola. But check prior boarding these buses, as these days the buses are non stop and do not stop in Channarayapatna.
By Train: Shravanabelagola has railway station and there are trains, playing to Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan.
By Air: Nearest Airport is Bangalore Airport which is around 165km.

Accommodation:
There are yatri niwas and rooms for Jain in Shravanabelagola, for non-jain if you are looking for neat and good stay options, stay at Hassan which is 52km.


Check our the complete Mahamasthakabhisheka Series here.

Few of the best occasions to visit Bengaluru is during Independence day and Replublic day to catch with the biannual flower shows at Lal Bagh or during Christmas and New year for Cake Show. While many touristy places and shows have come up in Bengaluru off late, the flower show which was started 2 centuries ago has become an historical event and attracts visitors equally.

We were in Bengaluru during  this Republic day for my niece's naming ceremony. We reached Bengaluru on 26th January and the whole route from Corporation to Jayanagar, via Lal Bagh was packed because of heavy traffic at Lal Bagh entrance for flower show. We planned for 27th morning, being a working day so that we could visit the show in ease. It was hubby and kiddo's first visit to flower show of Lal Bagh and both were eagerly waiting after seeing photographs of previous shows.

The main attraction of the show is the replica of monuments made from flowers at the Glass House. This year's monument was of Bijapur's Gol Gumbaz. Made of different colours of roses, the replica takes the center of the glass house with different plants and flowers arranged around. 

The whole park is laid with numerous colorful flowers. Its just not the colours but also medicinal plants, fruit plants, herbs, bonsais which add to the show. There are also stalls set up which sell organic, herbal, eco-friendly stuff encouraging visitors to go green. Saplings and flowers are spread through out the park apart from the Glass House.

Happy Skywatching!!!

World Environment day was last weekend and to celebrate the same here on my my blog, this is the post on one of my favourite places in Bangalore, Lal Bagh(Red Garden in Hindi) Botanical garden. Be it for sapling shopping or fruit fest, flower show or Sunday morning jog, Lal Bagh was one favorite stop for we cousins during our summer vacations. Being at the center of the city, its been a good joint as well for we cousins meet ups. On a recent trip of mine to Bangalore, we planned a meet and I took this chance to explore the park. I reached an hour before and wandered around.

Commissioned by Haider Ali and completed by his son Tipu Sultan, the garden serves the green lung of the city, surviving since last three centuries. Spread over an area of 240acres, the garden is a great treasure of flora from and fauna. 

The main attraction is the Glass House which is modeled on London's Crystal Palace. While the Kempegowda Tower on hillock stands tall overlooking the silicon city, more structures like Japanese monument(which also hosts Bonsai garden) have been added in recent days to add to its beauty. The park is best visited during the flower show hosted on 26th January and 15th August. You can check more about the park on Wikipedia.

More to the World Environment Week, here is a Graffiti found on the outer wall of the garden

By the time I clicked more and more flowers and the Glass House, I was joined by my cousins. Together we visited Bonsai garden and spent time playing and chatting.

Travel tips:

* Park is open from 6am to 9pm, best time to visit the park is early morning, even before the crowd gathers.

* Entry is free from 6am to 9am and 6pm to 7pm. Rest of the time its Rs. 10/- and on weekends and public holidays Rs. 20/-

You just can't pass by Mysore's Amba Vilas Palace without clicking a photograph. On one of my trips to Mysore, I didn't have enough time to visit the palace but just clicked few of these from my car, to be precise moving car, as the traffic police was rushing us not to stop in front of the palace.

Happy Skywatching..

At the northen gate of Amba Vilas Palace, stands the Dodda Gadiayara(meaning the Big Clock). When I heard one of my friends asking me about Silver Jubilee Clock Tower, I wondered where it was, only to find out the clock tower or Dodda Gadiyara at Chamaraja Circle was called Silver Jubilee Clock Tower. 

Standing near the Town Hall, the clock is said to be built by palace staff in 1927 to commemorate Silver Jubilee of rule of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the 75feet tall tower has 4 clocks on its four sides with the numbers embed in Kannada. All clocks are functional even after 90 years from their construction.

Chamaraja Circle has great architectural treasure with Amba Vilas Palace, Town Hall, Silver Jubilee Clock tower and the statue of Chamaraja Wodeyar at the round about of the circle.

Been studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya, we always had odd vacation pattern. Our summer vacation would start half way till our cousins would have finished their vacation and would end after their schools would be long re-opened. I used to spend most of my vacations in Mysore or Bangalore at cousin's places. My cousin at Mysore studied at St Mary's school at the campus of St Philomena Church and I visited the church almost everyday with my aunt during the visit to his school. As kids the church was well liked by us for the narrow tunnel which connected the church's underground to the playground outside.
 

St Philomena church is a well known land mark in Mysore and can be sighted from anywhere around Mysore for its 187ft tall twin spires. Built between 1933-1941 under the patronage of His Highness Sri Nalvadi Krishanaraja Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore and Dr. Rene Feuga, the first Bishop of Mysore. Built in Gothic style of architecture, the church is 187ft high and 165ft long. The spires and the outer walls have beautiful carvings, with stained glass windows.