Article: Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa

Digambara monk sitting cross-legged
Image by Jainworld © Jainworld.com

Shravana Belgola is one of the main religious sites for Jains, particularly those in the Digambara sect. It has been a pilgrimage site for hundreds of years because of its importance in the early history of the Jain faith.

Shravana Belgola has attracted pilgrims for centuries, who initially came to pay homage to two key figures in early Jainism. Ācārya Bhadrabāhu and Emperor Candragupta completed the ritual of fasting to death at Shravana Belgola. Devout Jains have come to the site to follow their example for at least 13 centuries.

The tenth century inaugurated the development of Shravana Belgola as a principal centre of Digambara Jainism. Temples and memorials to Jain warriors began to be built, along with the huge statue of Bāhubali, a figure in Jain Universal History.

Above all, the site of Shravana Belgola is associated with Bāhubali. Though he is not a Jina, Bāhubali achieved enlightenment and, according to some Digambara sources, was the first person to gain liberation in the present era of time. Worshipped primarily by Digambaras, Bāhubali has numerous statues throughout India, the most famous of which is found here.

Bhadrabāhu’s sacred footprints
Image by Ilya Mauter © CC BY-SA 2.5

The longstanding sanctity of the place to the Jains first comes from its association with the religious teacher Bhadrabāhu and the emperor Candragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty. The hill of Candra-giri has several artefacts that are traditionally connected with these important figures of the Jain past.

The historical details are vague but it is believed that a severe drought of 12 years led Bhadrabāhu and Candragupta to migrate from northern India in the 3rd century BCE. They brought a large portion of the mendicant community to southern India. This mythical event is recorded in an inscription of 600 CE on the hill of Candra-giri. According to Digambara traditions, Candragupta renounced his kingship and became a mendicant and both Bhadrabāhu and Candragupta undertook the ritual of fasting to death at Shravana Belgola.

According to tradition, the presence of both men can be traced principally in the following three venerated features of Shravana Belgola:

• Bhadrabāhu’s Cave
• Bhadrabāhu’s footprints
• Candragupta Basadi.

The cavern known as Bhadrabāhu’s Cave is found on Candra-giri and shelters what is considered to be Bhadrabāhu’s footprints – caraṇa. The Candragupta Basadi is a small temple on Candra-giri, built to mark the place where the emperor is supposed to have died. It looks ancient but it is impossible to know when it was built. The temple contains a remarkable screen panel of stone in two parts, with 90 scenes relating to the legends of Bhadrabāhu and Candragupta. The screen is a later addition, probably dating back to the 12th century. One of the scenes depicts the 16 dreams seen by Candragupta, which were interpreted by Bhadrabāhu, revealing the predictions they concealed.

These features are meant to underline the connection with these revered figures but are historically dubious. Bhadrabāhu’s Cave is an example of a phenomenon found in many pilgrimage places as they rise and fall in prominence over the centuries. The claims of religious sites may rarely be able to withstand historical scrutiny but Bhadrabāhu’s Cave ‘in fact […] represents an anachronistic attempt to enhance the prestige of an emerging holy place’ (Dundas 2002: 225).

Bhadrabāhu’s cave
Image by Ilya Mauter © CC-BY-SA-2.5

The legendary example set by Candragupta and Bhadrabāhu is the basis of the fame of the two hills at Shravana Belgola that lie at the heart of the site. The hills became the destination of those who wanted to carry out the ritual known as fasting to death – sallekhanā.

Several stone pillars, reliefs and temples are memorials – nisidhi – to those who have performed the ceremony. A large number of inscriptions engraved directly on the rocky ground or on pillars, walls and so on record periods of fasting undertaken by ascetics and later also by lay men. Dubbed sanyasa or sanyasana – ‘complete rejection’ – in the inscriptions, these fasts are a way of embracing the experience of the original two fasters.

The oldest memorials date back to a period between the seventh to tenth centuries. An instance is this simple epigraph:

Upasena-guravaḍigaḷ, disciple of Paṭṭini-guravaḍigaḷ of Mālanūr, having observed the vow of sanyasana for one month, ended his life.

Epigraphia Carnatica, Number 28, Candragiri hill

Chamundaraya Basti
Image by HoysalaPhotos © CC BY-SA 3.0

The tenth century marked a new development in Shravana Belgola’s place in Jain sacred geography.

One of the key persons in this change was Cāmuṇḍarāya, a minister serving Rājamalla IV, a king of the Ganga dynasty who ruled Karnataka from 974 to 984 CE. Cāmuṇḍarāya was a follower of Jainism through his spiritual teacher, Nemicandra. This period corresponded to a golden age for the Jains in Karnataka, seeing the foundation of the Shravana Belgola maṭha. It became a centre of economic activity under the leadership of the local religious authority – bhaṭṭāraka – which became the owner of several villages, lands and so on.

Hero stones commemorating those who died in war from the tenth century onwards are also present on Candra-giri.

Buchanan’s sketch of Bāhubali
Image by  © Heidelberg University Library

The minister and general Cāmuṇḍarāya commissioned the image and the consecration took place during the reign of Rājamalla. The precise date is not known for sure, but cross-referencing information from various inscriptions and literary works suggests that it was around 983 CE. The date of Sunday 13th March 981 is widely accepted, since it meets astrological requirements for ritual installation and matches information in some documents. The year 1981 was therefore proclaimed the millennium anniversary of the official ritual installation– pratiṣṭhā.

It is not known exactly why the idol of Bāhubali was commissioned. Legendary accounts and historical events offer their own explanations for the statue’s construction.

It seems that Bāhubali was very popular among the royal dynasties of the Deccan Plateau in southern India. Some even considered him as their lineage deity – kula-deva. Part of the warrior caste, these dynasties were frequently at war and members of the same family often fought one another. Bāhubali’s defeat of his half-brother Bharata indicates why he could easily have become their hero. The erection of the colossal statue at Shravana Belgola could have been a means of proclaiming this association publicly.

A legendary account also explains why the image was erected there. Cāmuṇḍarāya’s mother is said to have taken a vow not to taste milk until she saw Gommaṭa. Cāmuṇḍarāya and she undertook a pilgrimage to north India together, to visit the statue that Bharata had erected to celebrate his brother Bāhubali’s victory. After seeing this dilapidated image, Cāmuṇḍarāya decided to establish a better idol at Shravana Belgola. Back in southern India, he shot an arrow from Candra-giri. It fell on a large boulder on Vindhya-giri. The general approached the place the arrow had landed and, having perceived a clear image of Gommaṭa, he ordered the sculptors to carve the statue on that spot (Jain 2005: 10).

Colossus of Bāhubali
Image by Ashok 666 – Ashok Prabhakaran © CC BY-SA 2.0

The monolithic nude statue, standing like a sentinel, can be seen from a distance of about 10 kilometres away across the flat plain, but not from the foot of the hill. Its size and weight suggest it was carved from a single rock found on the spot because it is hard to imagine that such an impressive block of granite could have been carried up the steep hill.

The majestic and very sober statue is freestanding in an open courtyard, facing north. The shoulders of the figure are squared and the arms hang straight down the sides with the thumbs turned outwards. The feet rest upon a low pedestal carved to represent an open lotus flower. The face has regular features, short hair styled in spiral ringlets and very long earlobes. Up the legs twine foliage and vines, representing the long period of deep, motionless meditation for which Bāhubali is known.

It is extremely difficult to give exact measurements of the immense statue and reports vary, but the rough statistics are impressive.

This impressive and majestic image, with its unique features, leaves hardly anyone indifferent. An example is that of the Jain Kannada poet Boppaṇṇa, whose work is engraved in a Shravana Belgola inscription dated 1180 (Number 234/336; Sangave 1981: 84). Down the centuries, many foreign travellers have also been struck by this arresting sight.

The spirit of Jain renunciation is fully brought out in the statue. The nudity of the image indicates absolute renunciation while its stiff and erect posture stands for perfect self-control. The benign smile on the face shows inward bliss and sympathy for the suffering world

Sangave
1981, page 83

Summit of Vindhya-giri
Image by Manju.ngl © CC BY 3.0

Of the eight temples found here, four form the focus of pilgrims‘ interest on the hill.

In addition, there are holy artefacts that are not temples on Vindhya-giri. These are also interesting to religious visitors and tourists.

Temples on Candra-giri
Image by Dineshkannambadi © CC BY-SA 3.0

There are 16 temples on Candra-giri, most of which are generally small in size. The oldest one dates back to the eighth century though most of them were completed in the 12th century.

In addition, there are holy objects on the hill that are significant in either religious or artistic terms. These comprise sculptures and buildings as well as a large granite boulder.

There are other sacred objects on Candra-giri that are of religious and artistic note.

Statue of Bāhubali anointed with red
Image by Dhiraj Chawda © Dhiraj Chawda

A survey of the temples and sacred objects found on the site shows that the main architectural activity was completed before 1300. Yet the following centuries saw some additions and enlargements, demonstrating how royal dynasties continued to patronise Jainism in Shravana Belgola. This was the case not just with the Jain dynasty of the Hoysalas (1006–1345), but also with the Vijayanagara kings and the Mysore rulers from the 17th century onwards. Although non-Jain, they were tolerant of Jainism, at least to some extent. They showed their protection through grants of lands or money to repair the temples and by encouraging Jain worship.

Even so, religious life in the site was less vibrant than in earlier periods because after the 12th century the influence of the local Jain communities diminished. This was felt in several areas, such as:

• the presence of Digambara mendicant communities dropped
• the head-anointing ceremony was not celebrated regularly because of lack of funds or because it was forbidden by some Muslim rulers
• economic and political circumstances were not favourable to the public expression of Digambara Jainism.

Nowadays, Shravana Belgola is a peaceful, holy place with about 10,000 inhabitants, but every dozen years the population increases temporarily by thousands during the renowned ceremony of anointing the statue of Bāhubali. This huge event is managed by the state government of Karnataka with the active support of the local bhaṭṭāraka and of Digambara communities all over India.