One of the Seven Wonders of India.
The 58 foot statue of Bhagwan Bahubali at Shravanabelagola was voted by the readers of the newspaper ‘The Times of India’ as the first of the Seven Wonders of India on August 5, 2007. Now there are statues taller than this in India, but when you think that this statue was sculpted more than a thousand years ago, and is still considered to be the World’s tallest monolithic statue, then the title seems more befitting to this colossal rock-cut statue of the Lord Gommateshwara Shri Bahubali. The town of Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas for the Jain community.
We had just visited Halebeedu and were returning to Bangalore so we decided to stop at Shravanabelagola on the way. It was an 80 km drive from Halebeedu, and took us an hour and a half. It is best to visit early in the morning as there are more than 600 steps to climb, without any footwear, so you can end up with roasted feet. 10 am is the outer limit in winter, but even earlier in the summers. It takes between 30 to 45 minutes to reach the top of the Vindyagiri Hill where the statue is located. There are palanquins carried by four porters for the old and infirm devotees, though I would feel ashamed to be seen in one.
There are some monuments and temples on the way up, and you get a beautiful view of the surroundings from the hilltop. Photography is not allowed but many tourists could be seen taking snaps with their cellphones and cameras. The statue itself was covered by bamboo scaffolding due to maintenance being carried out since the last ‘Mahamastabhisheka’, which was in February 2018. It is held once every 12 years, and the next one will be in 2030.
The statue is worth visiting at least once in your lifetime, but many more times if you are a follower of Jainism. There is no entry fee, but you have to pay for a token at the footwear stand, and the monk in the temple will ask for a voluntary donation, as per your discretion.
Shravanabelagola to Bangalore was about 145 km, and took us about 2 hours 30 minutes to drive.
Show lessWe had just visited Halebeedu and were returning to Bangalore so we decided to stop at Shravanabelagola on the way. It was an 80 km drive from Halebeedu, and took us an hour and a half. It is best to visit early in the morning as there are more than 600 steps to climb, without any footwear, so you can end up with roasted feet. 10 am is the outer limit in winter, but even earlier in the summers. It takes between 30 to 45 minutes to reach the top of the Vindyagiri Hill where the statue is located. There are palanquins carried by four porters for the old and infirm devotees, though I would feel ashamed to be seen in one.
There are some monuments and temples on the way up, and you get a beautiful view of the surroundings from the hilltop. Photography is not allowed but many tourists could be seen taking snaps with their cellphones and cameras. The statue itself was covered by bamboo scaffolding due to maintenance being carried out since the last ‘Mahamastabhisheka’, which was in February 2018. It is held once every 12 years, and the next one will be in 2030.
The statue is worth visiting at least once in your lifetime, but many more times if you are a follower of Jainism. There is no entry fee, but you have to pay for a token at the footwear stand, and the monk in the temple will ask for a voluntary donation, as per your discretion.
Shravanabelagola to Bangalore was about 145 km, and took us about 2 hours 30 minutes to drive.
Date of experience: December 2018
Ask EkMusafir about Bhagawan Bahubali Statue (Gommateshwara)
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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