Shravanabelagola is about 84km from Mysuru and 144km from Bengaluru. The 57-feet tall monolithic statue of Gommateshwara Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism. The temple is on a small hilltop which one has to cover on foot. There are around 600 steps up the hill.As you go up your view changes and you get a panoramic view of the city. And the view is really beautiful.Chandragupta is said to have died here in 298 BC after he became a Jain monk and assumed an ascetic life style. Jainism in this place is 2000+ years old.Shravanabelagola “White Pond of the Shravana” is named with reference to the colossal image of Gommata – the prefix Sravana serves to distinguish it from other Belagolas with the prefixes Hale- and Kodi-, while Belagola “white pond” is an allusion to the pond in the middle of the town. More than 800 inscriptions have been found at Shravanabelagola, dating to various times from 600 to 1830.Every 12yrs, thousands of devotees congregate here to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a spectacular ceremony in which the statue is covered with milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins
