Shravanabelagola from Bangalore: Temple and places to visit

Shravanabelagola is located at a distance of around 160 Km from Bangalore in Hassan District and is famous for Gomateshwara statue. It is one of the famous weekend gateways from Bangalore for families. It is also one of the very famous places for Jain Pilgrims. Here are more details about Shravanabelagola from Bangalore:

How to reach Shravanabelagola from Bangalore?

  • From Bangalore catch a bus to Channarayapattana. Distance is around 150 km.
  • Time to reach Channarayapattana is around 3.5 hours from Bangalore. Ticket price is around Rs. 150
  • Buses are available anytime from Majestic bus stand or you can also book your ticket online at Ksrtc site
  • From Channarayapattana, you can get a car, auto, minibus and local bus to Shravanabelagola. Distance is around 15 km. Autos charge around 250.

Where to stay in Shravanabelagola?

Although there are hotels near the Shravanabelagola bus stand and Channarayapattana town. But if you are going during the peak time of Jain pilgrimage, it’s wiser to book the accommodation in advance. I prefer to stay in the Dharamshala there. Dharamshala is like a house of pilgrims. There are cheaper, clean and run by Jain people. There are two famous Dharamshala in Shravanabelagola:

Dharamshala in Shravanabelagola

It is worth noting that the availability of dharamshalas in Shravanabelagola may vary depending on the time of year, as the town sees a high influx of visitors during certain periods. It is advisable to book accommodation in advance, especially during peak seasons, to ensure that you have a place to stay during your visit.
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You can also check with local travel agents or tour operators for more information on the availability of dharamshalas in the area. Here are some of Dharamshalas

Bahuballi Mutt Dharamshala

  • many rooms available
  • low cost; clean; free food (around 350 per room)
  • close to bus stop
  • spacious room

Jain Dharamshala

  • More details coming….

Shravanabelagola temple timings:

  • The temple timings are from morning 6-30 am to 11-30 am and 3-30 pm to 6-30 pm in the afternoon.

Shravanabelagola Tourist reception and information office facilities:

  • You can get the full information about the upcoming events
  • For elderly people, you can book Doli to the temple. For the people who cannot walk up to the hill
  • You can hire a guide for much interesting information for 200

What to see in Shravanabelagola?

  • Statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali
  • White pond
  • Various types of inscriptions
  • Sunset from the Chandragiri hills

ShravanaBelaGola traveling experience:

It was one of those sunny saturdays in the torrid month of April when me and three of my friends planned out for a one day trip to Shravanabelagola, halebidu and belur , all three places on the same day. We hired a Figo from Zoomcars and started off at 9 am after having breakfast at home.

The NH48 highway is very broad and well maintained. As our car hit the highway it naturally took the fifth gear speed smoothly and we drove a past number of granite hillocks along with a green stretch of fields on both the sides of the road. The sky was bright blue and the dark pitch road was shimmering in the direct sun rays.

We could anticipate that the temperature outside must be above 30 degree Celsius but we were enjoying the AC inside the car. During such trips, google map navigation app comes as a handy since none of us knows the route.

White pond and chandagiri hills, shravanabelagola

After almost 3 hrs at 12 noon we reached the Shravanabelagola. Shravanabelagola is a city located about 158kms from Bangalore. The name “Shravanabelagola” means “white pond of shravana” the photo of which is depicted below.

The statue of the Jain saint Gommateshvara Bahubali in the city is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Jains. 58 feet tall, the world’s largest monolithic stone statue of Gommateshvara is placed on the top of the Vindhyagiri hills. It was created around 983 AD by Chavundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King, Rachamalla.

temple entrance, shravanabelagola

We got down the car and could feel the strong heat of the sun. The weather was extremely hot and as we started walking down the street we could feel little perspirations running down our body. I gazed at the hill which we were about to ascend. It was difficult to look up owing to the blazing sun. The hill seemed steep and high with big boulders and huge stones jutting out of it.

I could make out a long winding stone staircase that carved its way up the hill and vanished somewhere in the top. We read before coming that we had to climb 650 stone-carved stairs to reach the top of the hill that too on barefoot. There was absolutely no trees, no shades above the stairs. The entire hill looked so barren and naked. I quickly took out my shades and wore a brown hat so as to safeguard from the scorching rays. Three of my friends bought hats from nearby shops.

stone carved stairs, shravanabelagola

We had to submit our shoes and cameras in the reception before we started our barefoot climb. I was thinking whether it would be possible for me to bear the hot-coal like stone beneath my feet during the long climb so, I did not pull out my socks and so did my friends.

jain teerthankars at shravanabelagola

The stairs were little high and steep and we started climbing. Sometimes we would stop of course to catch our breath and sometimes to take photos and as we looked back we were amazed at the slowly changing scenario around us surrounding the hill -the white pond, behind it the Chandragiri hill, small houses, distant greeneries, small and big stony hills situated near and far – the beautiful panoramic view of the entire city captured our heart.

As we climbed higher we drew closer to the temple and we could see its entrance. In terms of physics, we did enough work in climbing 650 stairs under the harsh merciless sun and we were completely drained out. On reaching the summit we sat somewhere and drank lots of water to satiate our parched throat.

Gomateshwara temple, shravanabelagola

We entered the temple. Near the entrance, we could see huge glass slabs made by the government lying on the floor which protected and covered some ancient scriptures carved out of the rocks on the floor. These inscriptions include texts in the Kannada, Sanskrit, Marathi, Konkani, Tamil, Marwari and Mahajani languages.

Gomateshwara bahubali statue

All around the temple, there were several statues, carvings on the stone and big pillars. The huge Gommateshvara Bahubali figure made out of single granite stone stands majestically in the center. The colossal figure is naked and the beautifully sculpted feature of the statue epitomizes the divinity and magnificence hidden in the flawless ancient art which was around 1800 years old.
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glass slabs covering inscriptions at the shravanabelagola

Lord Gommateshvara was a Jain prince named Bahubali, the son of Rishabha (first Tirthankara and founder of Jainism). Bahubali is a much respected figure among Jains. After winning the battle against his elder brother, Bharata, he developed a desire for renunciation. He gave his kingdom to Bharata and left to lead a life of penance and meditation becoming a jain monk and practicing nirvana.

It is known that a spectacular event known as Mahamastakabhisheka is held once in 12 years where thousands of devotees congregate and the statue is anointed with milk, curds, saffron, Ghee, coconut water, turmeric paste and gold and precious jewels.

There is a spacious chamber in Bhandari Basti about 200 meters to the left of Gommateshvara Statue containing the 24 figures of Tirthankaras. If you are interested in religious and historical sites traveling in Karnataka, some of the other destinations that you might want to explore are Hampi, Pattadakkal, Badami caves, Yana etc.

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4 Replies to “Shravanabelagola from Bangalore: Temple and places to visit”

  1. Suparas jain

    Well the entire description about the spectacular and historic monument of Lord Bahubali was very apt and truly interesing specially you made the narration live and worth reading.
    Kudos and three cheers

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