Gommateshwara statue
The Gommateshwara statue is a 57-foot (17 m) high monolithic statue on Vindhyagiri Hill in the town of Shravanbelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Carved of a single block of granite, it is one of the tallest monolithic statues in the ancient world. The Gommateshwara statue is dedicated to the Jain figure Bahubali and symbolises the Jain precepts of peace, non-violence, sacrifice of worldly affairs, and simple living. It was built around 983 CE during the Western Ganga dynasty and is one of the largest free-standing statues in the world. It was regarded the tallest Jain statue until 2016. The construction of the statue was commissioned by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya. Neighbouring areas have Jain temples known as basadis and several images of the Tirthankaras. Vindyagiri Hill is one of the two hills in Shravanabelagola. The other is Chandragiri, which is also a seat of several ancient Jain centres, much older than Gommateshwara statue. Chandragiri is dedicated to the Jain figure Bharat, the brother of Bahubali and the son of the first Tirthankara Rishabhnath. A Jain event known as Mahamastakabhisheka attracts devotees from all over the world. The Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held once every 12 years, when the Gommateshwara statue is ritually bathed in milk, saffron, ghee, sugarcane juice (ishukrasa), etc. German Indologist Heinrich Zimmer attributed this anointment as the reason for the statue's freshness. The next abhishekam will be in 2030. In 2007, the statue was voted the first of Seven Wonders of India in a Times of India poll; 49% of the total votes went in favour of it. The Archaeological Survey of India has listed the Gommateshwara statue in a group of monuments in Shravanabelagola known as the Adarsh Smarak Monument.
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