Gommatagiri
Encyclopedia
Gommatagiri is about 20 km from Mysore. Gommatagiri is situated in Bilikere hobli of Hunsur taluk in Mysore district
in Karnataka
state, India
.
Gommatagiri is an acclaimed Jain centre. The 700-year-old statue of Gomateshwara (Bhagawan Bahubali
) is erected atop a 50 meter tall hillock called 'Shravana Gudda'.
The statue of Gomateshwara at Gommatagiri is an early Vijayanagara
creation in granite. It has serene facial expressions and curly hairs. This Jain centre attracts many pilgrims during the annual "Maha masthakabhisekha" in September.
The statue at Gommatagiri has striking similarities to its famous counterpart in Shravanabelagola
except that it is dwarfed in size in comparison.
While historians attribute the statue to an early Vijayanagar period, the local Jains have a strong belief that the entire region was a bastion of Jainism at least since the 2nd Century BC.
However, the statue at Gommatagiri is in danger of being irretrievably damaged due to quarrying, and the explosions triggered off in the region have resulted in cracks at the base of the statue.
The joints supporting the hillock have widened because of the blasts and the hillock needs to be strengthened by providing "abetment" from the western side. Situated on a diversion road from Bilikere and about 12 km. from Yelwal, the statue at Gommatagiri is atop a 50-metre hillock.
Mysore district
Mysore District is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. The district is bounded by Mandya district to the northeast, Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north...
in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Gommatagiri is an acclaimed Jain centre. The 700-year-old statue of Gomateshwara (Bhagawan Bahubali
Bahubali
According to Jainism, Bahubali, called Gomateshwara , was the second of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, Rishabha, and king of Podanpur. The Adipurana, a 10th century Kannada text by Jain poet Adikavi Pampa According to Jainism, Bahubali, called Gomateshwara , was the second of the...
) is erected atop a 50 meter tall hillock called 'Shravana Gudda'.
The statue of Gomateshwara at Gommatagiri is an early Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
creation in granite. It has serene facial expressions and curly hairs. This Jain centre attracts many pilgrims during the annual "Maha masthakabhisekha" in September.
The statue at Gommatagiri has striking similarities to its famous counterpart in Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola
Shravana Belgola is a city located in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 158 km from Bangalore. The statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali at Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural...
except that it is dwarfed in size in comparison.
While historians attribute the statue to an early Vijayanagar period, the local Jains have a strong belief that the entire region was a bastion of Jainism at least since the 2nd Century BC.
However, the statue at Gommatagiri is in danger of being irretrievably damaged due to quarrying, and the explosions triggered off in the region have resulted in cracks at the base of the statue.
The joints supporting the hillock have widened because of the blasts and the hillock needs to be strengthened by providing "abetment" from the western side. Situated on a diversion road from Bilikere and about 12 km. from Yelwal, the statue at Gommatagiri is atop a 50-metre hillock.