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12th September 2018, 21:20 | #1 | |||||
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| A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue Life is full of ironies; whenever we deliberately run away from something, that very thing somehow catches up with us in the most unexpected of ways. The story of king Bahubali, who renounced the material world and went in search of Kaivalya, is one such. For a man who thought it prudent to meditate for a year, standing bare bodied and exposed to nature, coming to terms with the opulence, gaiety and variety of ways in which his followers worship him today, might have been difficult. Bhagawan Bahubali - also known as Gommateshwara - has always fascinated me. It was in 1994 that I read a Kannada poem by Su.Ram.Ekkundi describing a child's conversation with his grand father about Mahamastakabhisheka. Twenty four years later, the lines still dance on my tongue. (Non Kannada readers can skip this part without any loss of continuity) Quote:
In 2006, I was just on the verge of entering my professional life. Between the unbridled enthusiasm of an IT greenhorn and the unsureness of a young lad freshly landed in Bengaluru, I was so focused on seeing life that I lost sight of the great event that had been humming tunes in my mind for the past 12 years. I missed the Mahamastakabhisheka and the wait lasted for the next twelve years. In February this year, I made plans upon plans to visit the holy town of Shravanabelagola. Alone; with family; family and friends; colleagues; strangers and whom not! Suffice it to say that all those were washed away faster than a drop of water poured on Gommata's head could reach his toe!!! Disappointment is a word that I very rarely entertain in life. Hence, in spite of several start-stops, I was confident of making it to the event this time. I had visited Sharavanabelagola six times, but only on normal days. The Great Event had eluded me. This time I couldn't, wouldn't miss it. Miss it and regret it: for the next twelve years. On 9th September 2018, we set sail at 7AM from Chikkamagaluru. Had a short breakfast stop near Hassan and reached the foothill at 9.30AM. Having experienced the heat that the hill is capable of emitting, we had gone prepared with enough drinking water, cucumbers and most importantly cotton socks. With the celebrations set to end on 14th September, a sea of humanity had descended on the small town. But in a festival, it is always more the merrier. We joined the young, the old and the older; the native villager, the curious foreigner and the curioser school children; we climbed up in about half an hour. Was any hike ever timed to such perfection? Na, I do not think so. For, soon after I went up the specially built viewing platform, I was blessed with some mesmerizing sights. Had I been more of a believer than I currently am, I would have stolen Khusrou's words and declared "Agar firdous baroye zameen ast, hami asto, hami asto hami ast". Before letting the pictures take over the rest of the post, let me quote a few lines about the history of the place and the statue: The Town: Quote:
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Gommata - in Normal Times On Special Days A Festival of Colours Info and Image Source: 1 2 Here are a few pictures that I took. I am possibly the worst photographer on the forum; so, please excuse the quality (mostly, the lack of it) of the photos. I have waited for one score and four years to witness these scenes firsthand. A Collage Jalabhisheka - Anointment with Water Jalabhisheka - A Closer View Ksheerabhisheka - The Milk Bath Ksheerabhisheka - In Progress Anointment with Rice Flour Malaya Chandanabhisheka - White Sandalwood Paste Mulikabhisheka - Essence of Medicinal Herbs Kumkumabhisheka - Vermillion Bath Kumkumabhisheka - A Closer Look Arishinabhisheka - Turmeric bath Turmeric Bath - Closeup A Conversation with the Clouds And a Tκte-ΰ-Tκte with The Sun Side Profile KAIVALYA Murthy Finally, The Foil - Money Matters A few representative videos, courtesy YouTube. A saner photographer, a slightly better camera (mine was Redmi Note 4 ), or even a desire to capture those moments for posterity rather than the urge to absorb and enjoy the moment in my mind's eye would have resulted in quality pictures. If there ever was a statue that could be called photogenic, it is this. The subject was indeed perfect, the artist on the other hand, was found lacking in skills. Be that as it may, I am satisfied that I could fulfill a long lingering dream. At Last . Trip Statistics: Car: Zen Estilo Lxi Distance Covered: 225 kms Fuel Efficiency: 19.xxx kmpl While coming back, we paid a brief visit to the Lakshmidevi Temple, Doddagaddavalli. As I have shared only photos of Mahamastakabhisheka and skipped details about the other places of interest in Shravanabelagola, I would request readers to refer to the following threads. 1 (Wanderlust Traveller - One day trip to Shravanabelagola & Melukote) 2 (Reclaiming Shravanabelagola - Hassan - Halebid - Belur - Sakleshpur) 3 (Mysore-Hosa agrahara-Shravanabelagola-Srirangapatna-Mysore) 4 (B'lore - Shravanabelagola... Finally did the trip :)) Last edited by dailydriver : 13th September 2018 at 18:34. | |||||
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14th September 2018, 17:15 | #2 |
Team-BHP Support | Re: A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing! |
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14th September 2018, 22:39 | #3 |
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| Re: A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue @ OP, Thank you for sharing. A quick clarification - was the event held in February or September of this year? The official Mahamastakabhisheka website has the event dates as February 17-25, 2018 |
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14th September 2018, 23:10 | #4 |
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| Re: A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue How beautiful. and what a marvel of engineering - getting the proportions right, getting the left & the right sides to match each other, getting the centre of gravity exactly placed and getting balance right so that earth tremors & winds of a thousand years haven't got the better of it. I visited the temple as a 5-year old with my parents and family and the memories are crystal clear even today including the climb up the hill. |
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15th September 2018, 06:16 | #5 | |||||||
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| Re: A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue Quote:
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He is no Adonis or Hercules. But the Bahubali at Sravanabelagola is a perfect example of art imitating life and succeeding in it. Although there are differences of opinion on the exact height of the statue, it is accepted that it ranges between between 57 ft to 58.8 ft. At a mean point of 58 ft (sic), the vital measurements of parts are estimated to be: Quote:
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Interestingly, no single sculptor seems to have been responsible (or credited) for giving shape to the statue. The colossal structure must have been a collaborative project involving multiple talented individuals. Even today, holding the Mahamastakabhisheka is a logistical nightmare. Able engineers and committed bureaucrats have taken it upon themselves to make the event successful. For instance, the platform and the scaffolding used to reach the top to perform the anointment was finalised after a lot of see saws and gritty decision making by two Deputy Commissioners. Quote:
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I spoke to a few elderly folks who claimed to have seen 3-4 Abhishekas and they recalled that the earlier scaffoldings were constructed using wooden poles, planks and bamboo - akin to the ones used by masons for building construction - but on a much much larger scale! Also, twelve temporary townships and fifteen dining halls were constructed in an area of over 500 acres to accommodate different categories of visitors. The entire event wouldn't have been possible without the help (and tolerance) of the local farmers, migrant labourers and efficient officials. Notwithstanding the criticism on the necessity of continuing a supposedly wasteful tradition, this event is a celebration of the human spirit - in all its glory. | |||||||
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28th September 2018, 10:39 | #6 |
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| Re: A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue Very nicely compiled dailydriver. Informative, useful thread with good photos. Sri Su. Ram. Ekkundi's poetry is very nice, great value addition to this thread. Thanks for sharing. During my childhood witnessed "Mahamastakabhisheka" at Karkala (Udupi dist), we were staying near to the hill at that time. Entire experience is etched in my memory, without even a single photograph. |
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28th November 2018, 13:01 | #7 | ||
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| Re: A Mahamastakabhisheka Photologue : 57-foot Bahubali Statue The Hindu reports that the Gomateshwara statue is set to get a chemical wash, next month. Quote:
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