Overview
The single most important Digambara Jain pilgrimage site in India. On Vindhyagiri hill stands a seventeen-metre monolithic statue of Bahubali, carved from one block of granite, facing a second sacred hill, Chandragiri, across the town. Sect: Digambara.
History
The statue's own dedicatory inscription dates it to 981 CE, commissioned by Chavundaraya, minister of the Ganga kingdom. That is inscriptionally grounded and corroborated across sources. Chandragiri carries a separate and much older tradition, that Chandragupta Maurya ended his life here by sallekhana under the guidance of Acharya Bhadrabahu. That tradition is not confirmed by any inscription found, and this platform records it as tradition.
Spiritual Significance
Two things set Shravanabelagola apart. The statue is one of the largest free-standing monoliths in the world, and it is the focus of the Mahamastakabhisheka, the anointing ceremony performed on roughly a twelve-year cycle, when the image is bathed from scaffolding in milk, sugarcane juice, saffron, sandalwood and turmeric. The second is the epigraphy. The two hills carry more than 800 inscriptions, spanning roughly 600 to 1830 CE, which makes this one of the richest inscriptional sites in India and a primary source for the history of the Ganga, Hoysala and later dynasties.
Pilgrimage Information
Getting there and getting in. The statue is reached by a rock-cut stairway up Vindhyagiri. Sources disagree on the exact step count. Jain temples of this rank commonly prohibit leather articles, restrict photography, and expect bathing before worship. Where this page does not state a restriction, it is because no source documented one for this particular site, not because none applies. Confirm on arrival.
Preservation
Protection status. Listed by the Archaeological Survey of India as an Adarsh Smarak monument.
Sources
- Shravanabelagola other
- Gommateshwara statue other
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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