Mahamasthakabhisekha of Lord Bahubali held

Dharmasthala, Karnataka, Feb 2 (UNI) Mahamasthakabhisekha, the head anointing ceremony of the 34-ft-tall monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali, was held here today with religious fervour, pomp and gaiety.

The stone statue, atop the Ratnagiri hillock in this temple town, changed its hue as pots of various liquids were poured over the head and slogans like 'Bolo Bhagwan Bahubali Ki Jai' raised by the jampacked devotees rented the air. It turned pristine white when pots of milk were poured and the colour soon changed to yellow when sandalwood paste was offered, followed by red when asthagandha water was poured and black when kashayam (concoction) was offered.

The spectacular sight could be witnessed from far away as the third head anointing ceremony, held after a gap of 12 years, passed off successfully, 25 years after its installation.

The statue was anointed with 1008 kalasams with 'Pratham Kalashabhishek' (Ratna Kalash) performed by Surendra Zaveri of Delhi.

Various Jain munis, including Sri Vidyananda Muni Maharaj from Kundkund Bharathi in New Delhi, witnessed the ceremony that lasted for over five hours.

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