Shravanabelagola is located 51 km south east of Hassan in Karnataka state. Shravanabelagola is a famous Jain pilgrim centre wedged between Indragiri also called Vindyagiri and Chandragiri hills. Largest number of Jain basadis is found in Shravanabelagola. The city known for its religious sanctity boasts of numerous outstanding temples, shrines, wonderful statues and monuments. Shravanabelagola is also well-known for its scenic beauty.
In Kannada Shravana means a Jain ascetic. The word 'Bel' means white and 'kola' means the pond, the reference to the pond in the middle of the town. Hence the word Shravanabelagola means the place of white pond where the Jain ascetics live. This place reached its highpoint of structural and architectural grandeur under the patronage of Gangas of Talakad.
Vindhyagiri
The main attraction at Shravanabelagola is a large monolithic statue of Lord Gomateshwara Bahubali in the Vindyagiri hill. This architectural marvel is a picture of serenity and composure. The statue was installed around 983 AD by the Ganga General Chavundaraya. The statue which is carved out of a single block of granite has inscriptions on its base in Kannada, Tamil and Marathi. This statue is renowned as one of the largest monolithic statues in the world. A flight of 614 steps leads to the summit, where the nearly 1,800 old gigantic statue of Goamateshwara stands.
The chief festival of Shravanabelagola is called Maha Masthaka Abhisheka or great head anointing ceremony of Bhagawan Bahubali that is performed once in 12 years. During this festival huge number of devotees congregate at Shravanabelagola. Hundreds of pots of containing curd, milk, honey vermilion, coconut water, turmeric paste and even precious jewels are poured on the statues head by the priests. The next ceremony will occur in 2018.
Chandragiri
Chandragiri is a small hill located just opposite to the Vindhyagiri. The hill is situated about 3049 feet from mean sea level. There are many Jain temples on this hill. Chamundaraya Basti , Chandra Gupta Basadi and Parswanatha Basadi are the biggest and most famous of all the basadis. Chamundaraya Basadi is one of the largest Jain temples on the hill both and is a great example of Dravidian engineering. The Parshvanatha Basti contains five-meter high Parshvanatha icon. Chandragiri also houses the tomb of Chandragupta Maurya who was the famous patron of Jainism.. It is said that this place attained great significance after the greatest King of Mauryan Empire Chandragupta Maurya came here from north India and settled on this hill in 3rd century BC, along with his Guru Bhagwan Bhadra Bahu Swami.
Places around Shravanabelagola
Halebid situated at a distance of about 30kms from Shravanabelagola is renowned for its magnificent temples. Belur is situated at a distance of 60kms from Shravanabelagola. Belur is also famous for its monuments known worldwide for their architectural grandeur. The most famous temple here is Chennakesava temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
How to Reach Shravanabelagola
The nearest airport to Shravanabelagola is Bangalore which is at a distance of 157 km from the destination. The nearest railway station to Shravanabelagola is located at Hassan about 49 km from Shravanabelagola.. This town is well connected by road from Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan. Many KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) buses and private luxury buses operate between Shravanabelagola and other major cities in the state.
Accommodation
Shravanabelagola town offers some decent stay options for the tourists. Tourists can also opt to stay in Hassan which is just 52 kms from Shravanabelagola.