Shravanabelagola: Lakhs of devotees witness Mahamastakabhisheka

Team Udayavani, Feb 18, 2018, 9:13 AM IST

Hassan: Ocean of devotees from the all over the country and abroad witnessed the 88th Mahamastakabhisheka, the grand celebration of anointment of the statue of Bahubali in Shravanabelagola on Saturday. The occasion is held once in every 12 years.

The first water drop fell on the 58-foot solid statue of Bahubali at 2.32 pm in the midst of chants of ‘Bhagawan Bahubali ki jai’ and ‘Jai Gurudev’. The statue was smeared with milk, sugarcane juice and saffron paste, sprinkled with sandalwood, turmeric and vermilion. The jain munis from across the world, jinamatas and devotees witnessed the fabulous event.

Arrangements were made on the hill top of Vindhyagiri for 5000 people by the District Administration. The devotees were seen occupying every vantage point – boulders, Basadis, stairs and Chandragiri – to witness the ceremony.

Sea of devotees had gathered at Shravanabelagola town but only the ones with passes were allowed to enter Chandragiri. As Chnadragiri was over crowded, the devotees and gathering took a glimpse of the Mahamasthakabhisheka from the streets of the town where LED screens were installed. The scouts and guides helped people specially the senior citizens to reach the hill top with the help of ‘dholis’.