My TripAdvisor Review No.413: Chandragiri Hill, Shravanabelagola.

Memorial of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

Chandragiri Hill is the smaller of the two hills in Shravanabelagola, Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri. While the Vindhyagiri Hill is better known because of the giant 58 foot statue of Gommateshwara, the Chandragiri Hill is also considered as holy for the Jain pilgrims, because this hill is where the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya breathed his last. Chandragupta, the founder of the Mauryan Empire, became a Jain ascetic before relinquishing his throne. His tomb is located on this hill, as well as the cave of his guru, Bhadrabahu.

Getting to the top of the Chandragiri Hill involves another climb up another 200 hundred steps. It is not as arduous as the 600 step steep climb up the Vindhyagiri, but after doing the Vindhyagiri we were simply too tired to do the Chandragiri as well. Maybe if we had more time or did the Chandragiri first it may have been possible.

We did get to see a good view of the Chandragiri Hill and the Jain Basadis situated there, from the top of the Vindhyagiri Jain Temple, but decided to spend at least another day at Shravanabelagola on our next visit, so that we could climb the Chandragiri Hill as well.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.412: Shravanabelagola Jain Temple, Karnataka.

Hilltop Temple of Lord Bahubali.

The giant 58 foot statue of Bhagwan Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is housed within the courtyard of the Shravanabelagola Jain Temple atop the Vindhyagiri hill. The statue is the tallest monolithic idol in the world. It is one of the holiest pilgrimage places for the Jain community attracting millions of devotees annualy. The word ‘Shravanabelagola’ literally translates to ‘the white pond of Shravana’ in the local language Kannada. There is a beautiful pond situated at the centre of the town by the same name.

To reach the temple one has to trudge up more than 600 steps from the bottom of the hill. We had to leave our footwear at the stand where the attendant gave us a token on payment of a small fee. There is no other entry fee. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to go up the steps, stopping many times on the way, as the incline is quite steep. It is better to start the trek up early before the sun starts heating up the ground and baking your feet. There are railings along the way, which helped us to pull ourselves up when the legs got tired. The old and infirm should avoid the climb, but there are palanquins available, carried by 4 porters, and they will carry you up for a fee.

The temple is very good, and there are many idols and carvings of the Jain Tirthankaras inside the temple. The statue of Bahubali is the centre of attraction. Photography is not allowed inside. Jain monks perform their rituals and penance in absolute silence at the temple. Every 12 years a ritual known as the ‘mahamastaabhisheka’ is performed, in which the Lord is adorned with thousands of liters of milk, ghee, curds, saffron and gold coins, by thousands of devotees. The last one was in February 2018, and the next one will be in 2030.

The view from outside the temple compound is very beautiful. We could see the lovely rectangular pond, and the Chandragiri hill on the other side of the town of Shravanabelagola.

Restaurants and food stalls are located at the base of the hill. Drinking water and toilet facility is also available. It is best to drink some tender coconut water before and after your trek.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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My TripAdvisor Review No.411: Vindhyagiri Temple, Shravanabelagola.

Temple of Lord Gommateshwara.

The giant 58 foot statue of Bhagwan Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is housed within the Vindhyagiri Temple atop the Vindhyagiri hill. To reach the temple one has to trudge up more than 600 steps from the bottom of the hill. We had to leave our footwear at the stand where the attendant gave us a token on payment of a small fee. There is no other entry fee.

It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to go up the steps, stopping many times on the way, as the incline is quite steep. It is better to start the trek up early before the sun starts heating up the ground and baking your feet. There are railings along the way, which helped us to pull ourselves up when the legs got tired. The old and infirm should avoid the climb, but there are palanquins available, carried by 4 porters, and they will carry you up for a fee.

The temple is very good, and there are many idols and carvings of the Jain Tirthankaras inside the temple. The statue of Bahubali is the centre of attraction. Photography is not allowed inside. This temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for the followers of the Jain religion. Jain monks perform their rituals and penance in absolute silence at the temple. At the exit you will be asked for a donation, and you may contribute at your discretion.

The view from outside the temple compound is very beautiful. We could see a lovely rectangular pond, and the Chandragiri hill on the other side of the town of Shravanabelagola.

Restaurants and food stalls are located at the base of the hill. Drinking water and toilet facility is also available. It is best to drink some tender coconut water before and after your trek.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My TripAdvisor Review No.410: Bhagwan Bahubali (Gommateshwara) Statue, Shravanabelagola, Karnataka.

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.

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Date of experience: December 2018

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC