Mysuru: The 69th Mastakabhisheka Puja Mahotsava at Gommatagiri near Bettadur village in Bilikere Hobli of Hunsur Taluk was held this morning under the aegis of Sri Gommatagiri Kshetra Seva Samiti, in the presence of thousands of devotees, who had thronged the Jain shrine for the annual ritual.
As the countdown for the annual Mastakabhisheka began and the priests chanted sacred hymns, swarming devotees occupied vantage points to get a glimpse of the idol bathed in turmeric, milk and sandal. The first Mastakabhisheka was held during the reign of erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar in 1949.
The Mastakabhisheka ritual was performed to the 16-foot tall monolith statue, said to have been sculpted by Ganga kings 850 years ago. When the auspicious hour arrived, Jain seers signalled the start of the ceremony and priests atop the special platform above the idol began the Mastakabhisheka by pouring holy water (Jalabhishekha) at around 12 noon.
The statue of Gommateshwara was bathed with water mixed with turmeric, sandal, kumkum, tender coconut, milk and other ingredients as per the tradition of the Jains who had congregated in large numbers.
The statue situated atop a hillock, shimmered in different colours during the Mastakabhisheka.
Devotees chanted ‘Bhagavan Bahubali ki jai’ and ‘Gommateshwara ki jai’ and the sound echoed from the hillock as the grey granite statue turned from black to white to red and to golden yellow within minutes.
Located about 24 km from Mysore, the statue of Bahubali at Gommatagiri has a striking resemblance to its celebrated counterpart at Shravanabelagola, the difference being in size with the former not more than 16-ft tall while the latter measures 58 ft.
However, its small size has not diminished its popularity and the statue at Gommatagiri is famous as a tourist centre attracting the visitors with scenic backwaters of KRS Dam. Devout Jains from all over India frequent the place for pilgrimage.
This post was published on December 2, 2018 6:56 pm