Shravanabelagola (Hassan District, Karnataka), May 12, 2016: The Jain Mutt of Shravanabelagola has decided to keep Mahamastakabhisheka, the anointment of Gomateshwara’s statue on Vindhyagiri scheduled for February 2018, a simple affair, in view of the drought in the State.

Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swami of the mutt, chairing the first national-level Digambar Jain Committee meeting held in Shravanabelagola on Wednesday, said the event would be simple. However, the works related to improving facilities for the public at the pilgrimage centre and providing care and shelter for devotees would go on as per requirement. “As we did in the past, we won’t make mega arrangements. Last year, there was a dip in rainfall, resulting in a drought this year. Farmers are in distress. People are not getting drinking water,” he said.

On a query on how the event would be, the swami said the programmes would be simple, with minimum expenses. “We will not compromise in showing devotion to Bahubali or providing basic amenities for devotees who come from distant places,” he said. “During the Mahamastakabhisheka held in 2006, four special trains had carried devotees from Ahmedabad, Assam, Mumbai and Indore. This time too hundreds of devotees will come in special trains. The necessary arrangements have to be made,” he said.

The mutt has appealed to the Archaeological Survey of India to widen the steps to Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri, which devotees climb to reach the 57-foot statue of Bahubali.

Representatives of various Jain committees across the country participated in the national-level meeting.

Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala, who inaugurated the meeting, said he had been involved in the last three Mahamastakabhishekas. “I will be proud to participate the fourth time. I am eager to take orders from the seer to do my work for the success of the event,” he said. – News Courtesy: The Hindu