Shravanabelagola: CM Siddaramaiah breaks record at Mahamastakabhisheka

Team Udayavani, Feb 18, 2018, 11:27 AM IST

Hassan: Siddaramaiah made an entry to the books of record as he became the first Karnataka chief minister to inaugurate the “Mahamastakabhisheka” and take part in “Mahamajjana” (Mahakumbh) rituals, which are held once in 12 years. The Chief Minister climbed the hills on his own and offered “Jalabhishekha” at the Vindhyagiri hill top.

Chief Minister also received blessings from 360 Jain Munis who were present at the event.

Former Chief Ministers R Gundu Rao and Dharam Singh were unable to take part in the Mahamajjana rituals inspite of inaugurating the “Mahamastakabhisheka” as they lost power.

The grand celebration which is held once in 12 years had begun on February 17. The event is also considered as Mahakumbh of the Jains. Sea of devotees will witness the celebration atop the hills. Tight security has been deployed for the safety of the devotees and to maintain law and order. Special arrangements have been made for the devotees to accommodate and witness the rituals.

The 57-foot high statue of Lord Gommetshwara Bahubali, son of first Tirthankara Adinath, is very famous as it is the world’s tallest monolithic graphite statue. The first ceremony of the Mahamastakabhisheka was held in the year 981 AD and since then the ritual has been followed. Shravanabelagola has been a Jain pilgrimage centre for the past 2,500 years.