Bahubali

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Bahubali
Bahubali ಬಾಹುಬಲಿ
The 65 ft high Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, India, was built in 983 CE.
Other namesGommateshwara, Kammateshwara
AffiliationJainism
Height525 bows (17 metres)
Personal information
Born
Ayodhya
Died
Asthapada
Parents
SiblingsSundarī (sister)
Bharata, Nami, and 97 other (step-brothers)
Brāhmī (step-sister)
ChildrenMahābala Somakīrti[1]
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Bahubali (

kevala jnana
).

Bahubali's other names are Kammateshwara and Gommateshwara, the namesake of the Gommateshwara statue dedicated to him.

Legends

The

Bharata and Bahubali. It was composed by Jinasena, a Digambara monk.[2]

Family life

Depiction of Bharata-Bahubali fight

According to Jain texts, Bahubali was born to Rishabhanatha and Sunanda during the

chakravartin and challenged him to a fight.[10]

The ministers on both sides gave the following argument to prevent war; "The brothers themselves, cannot be killed by any means; they are in their last incarnations in transmigration, and possess bodies which no weapon may mortally wound in warfare! Let them fight out the issue by themselves in other ways."[11] It was then decided that to settle the dispute, three kinds of contests between Bharata and Bahubali would be held. These were eye-fight (staring at each other)(drishti-yuddha), water-fight (jala-yuddha), and wrestling (malla-yuddha). Bahubali won all the three contests over his elder brother, Bharata.[7][12]

Renunciation

Sculpture depicting Bahubali's meditation in Kayotsarga posture with vines enveloped around his body (Photo: Badami caves)

After the fight, Bahubali was filled with disgust at the world and developed a desire for renunciation. Bahubali abandoned all possessions-kingdom, clothes, ornaments-to become a monk and began meditating with great resolve to attain omniscience (kevala jnana).[13]

He is said to have meditated motionless in a standing posture (

Kevali).[14] Bahubali finally attained liberation (moksha) at Mount Kailasha[16] and became a pure, liberated soul (siddha).[17] As per texts, he was one of the first Digambara monks to have attained moksha in the present half-cycle of time.(Avasarpiṇī).[3]

Statues

Karnataka

There are five monolithic statues of Bahubali measuring more than 6 m (20 feet) in height in Karnataka:

Maharashtra

Tamil Nadu

Shravanabelagola

Main article: Gommateshwara statue

The monolithic statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola, located 158 km (98 mi) from

Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya; it is 57-foot (17 m) tall and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola, in the Hassan district of Karnataka. It was built in and around 981 CE and is one of the largest free-standing statues in the world.[3][4][22] The statue is visible from 25 kilometres (16 mi) away. Shravanabelagola has remained a centre of pilgrimage (tirtha) for the Jains.[23] The statue is bathed at an interval of every 12 years and this event is celebrated as Mahamastakabhisheka.[24]

Karkala

Main article: Gommateshwara statue, Karkala
Bahubali monolith of Karkala

Karkala is known for its 42 ft (13 m) monolithic statue of Gomateshwara Bahubali, which is believed to have been built around 1432 and is the second-tallest statue in the State.[19][25] The statue is built on an elevated platform on top of a rocky hill. It was consecrated on 13 February 1432 by Veera Pandya Bhair Arasa Wodeyar, scion of the Bhair Arasa dynasty, feudatory of the Vijayanagar Ruler.[19][26]

Dharmastala

Bahubali monolith of Dharmastala
Main article:
Dharmastala

A 39-foot (12 m) high statue with a 13-foot (4.0 m) pedestal that weighs about 175 t (175,000 kg) is installed at Dharmasthala in Karnataka.[19]

Venur

Bahubali monolith of Venur
Main article: Venur

Venur is a small town in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka state, situated on the bank of the Gurupura River. Thimmanna Ajila built a 38-foot (12 m) colossus of Gommateshwara there in 1604.[25][19][27] The statue at Venur is the shortest of the three Gommateshwaras within 250 km (160 mi) around it. It stands in an enclosure on the same pattern as that of the statue at Shravanabelagola. The Kings of Ajila Dynasty ruled here from 1154 to 1786.[28]

Gommatagiri

Main article: Gommatagiri
Bahubali monolith of Gommatagiri, Mysore

Gommatagiri is an acclaimed Jain centre. The 12th-century granite statue of Bahubali, also known as Gomateshwara, is erected atop a 50-metre (160 ft) tall hillock called 'Shravana Gudda'.[20] The Jain centre attracts many pilgrims during the annual Mahamastakabhisheka in September.[20][25] The statue at Gommatagiri is very similar to the 58-foot (18 m) Gommateshwara statue in Shravanabelagola, except that it is smaller. Historians attribute the statue to an early Vijayanagar period.[20]

Kumbhoj

28-foot (8.5 m)-high monolith of Bahubali at Kumbhoj
Main article: Kumbhoj

Kumbhoj is the name of an ancient town located in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. The town is about eight kilometers from Hatkanangale, about twenty seven kilometers from Kolhapur. The famous Jain pilgrimage centre where a 28-foot (8.5 m)-high statue of Bahubali is installed is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Kumbhoj city.[29]

Aretipur

There is a 10-foot (3.0 m)-high statue of Bahubali at Aretipur, Near Kokrebellur Village of Madur Taluk Mandya district.[30]

In 2016, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated another 13 ft (4.0 m)-high statue of Bahubali made in the 3rd – 9th centuries in Aretipur.[31] ASI has also excavated an 8th-century statue of Bahubali in Aretipur, Maddur, Mandya, Karnataka, that is 3 feet (0.91 m) wide and 3.5 ft (1.1 m) tall.[32]

In literature

Poem by Boppanna

The life-story of Bahubali has been discussed in many works.

Sanskrit

Prakrit

  • Gommatesha-thudi, a religious hymn in praise to Bahubali, was composed by Nemichandra in 10th century CE.[36]
  • Gommatasa-sara, composed by Nemichandra, mentions the story of construction of the Gommateshwara statue by Chavundaraya.[37]

Kannada

  • A 10th-century Kannada text based on the Sanskrit text was written by the poet Adikavi Pampa.[38][39]
  • Gommata-stuti is a poem dated 1180 was composed by a Jain poet named Boppanna (also known as Sujanottamsa), in praise of Bahubali.[40][41]
  • Karkala Gommatesvara Charitre, composed by Chadura Chandrama in 1686 CE, is poem describing the mahamastakabhisheka at Karkala.[42]

Rajasthani

  • Bharateshwara Bahubali Ghora composed by Vajrasena Suri in 1168, is a poem with 48 verses describing the battle between Bharata and Bahubali.[43]

Gujarati

  • Bharateshwara Bahubaliras composed by Shalibhadra Suri in 1184, is a poem with 203 stanzas describing the struggle of power between Bharata and Bahubali.[43][44][45]

Images

Pictured below are some of the images depicting Bahubali that are located at various places in India.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bahubali.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 106.
  2. ^ Granoff 1993, p. 208.
  3. ^ a b c d Sangave 1981, p. 66.
  4. ^ a b Zimmer 1953, p. 212.
  5. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. xv.
  6. ^ Dundas 2002, p. 120.
  7. ^ a b c Sangave 1981, p. 67.
  8. ^ Vijay K. Jain 2013, p. x.
  9. ^ Vijay K. Jain 2013, p. xi.
  10. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 143.
  11. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 144.
  12. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 105.
  13. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 145.
  14. ^ a b Champat Rai Jain 1929, pp. 145–146.
  15. ISBN 978-81-263-1844-5
    .
  16. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929.
  17. ^ Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 146.
  18. ^ Sangave 1981, p. 25.
  19. ^
    Times News Network
  20. ^ a b c d "Gommatagiri statue crying for attention", The Hindu, 22 January 2006
  21. ^ "Lord Bahubali of Kumbhoj [Statue]". KolhapurTravels.com.
  22. ^ Rice 1889, p. 53.
  23. ^ March of Mysore, vol. 3, University of California, 1966, p. 56
  24. ^ "Bahubali Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsav: Here is the history of the Jain festival PM Modi attended today", The Indian Express, 19 February 2018
  25. ^ a b c Sangave 1981, p. 90.
  26. ^ "Bahubali abhisheka from today", The Hindu, 21 January 2015
  27. ^ Titze 1998, p. 48.
  28. TNN
  29. ^ Sangave 1981, p. 91.
  30. ^ "Bahubali of Aretipur", Frontline, 29 April 2016
  31. ^ Girish, M. B. (23 February 2016) [4 December 2015], "Another Jain centre under excavation in Mandya district", Deccan Chronicle
  32. ^ "Eighth Century Jain Temple Discovered in Maddur", The New Indian Express, Express News Service, 7 January 2015, archived from the original on 10 January 2015
  33. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 215.
  34. ^ Sangave 1981, p. 72.
  35. ^ Sangave 1981, p. 51.
  36. ^ Sangave 2001, p. 240.
  37. ^ Sangave 1981, p. 75.
  38. ^ "History of Kannada literature", kamat.com
  39. ISBN 0-85229-760-2
  40. ^ Sangave 1981, p. 84.
  41. ^ Settar 1989, p. 264.
  42. ^ Reddy 2022, p. 231.
  43. ^ a b Datta 1987, p. 454.
  44. ^ Paniker 1997, p. 94.
  45. ^ Mukherjee 1998, p. 44.

Sources

External links
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