Dear Dharmabandhu,
Shravanabelagola, nestled by the Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri Hills, protected by the monolith Bhagwan Bahubali, and home to over 2,300 years of Jain heritage, is a veritable picture postcard of our history and heritage spanning the centuries.
The verdant natural beauty of Shravanabelagola, with its swaying coconut trees and natural bodies of water, bears testimony to the legendary mental strength of Tyaga (renunciation) and the tender message of Ahimsa (Non-Violence) that embodies the Jain Way of Life.
Bhagwan Bahubali, the son of the first of our twenty four Jain Tirthankaras, is worshipped for living with exceptional qualities that he displayed during all stages of his life from conception, birth, renunciation, enlightenment and salvation. Beautiful and serene is his external appearance.
Mahamastakabhisheka, the head anointing ceremony of the Lord Gommateshwara Bahubali, which is observed once every 12 years in the Jain Dharmic cycle, is an integral part of the ancient and composite Jain tradition. The ceremony in 2018 will be the 88th in the series that commenced in the year 981 A.D. Hundreds of devotees and tourists from different parts of the world will be participating.
I invite you all to participate in this very unique and holy event.
With Blessings,
Swasthishri Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji, Shravanabelagola