5 day Mahamasthakabhisekha of Lord Bahubali ends

Dharmasthala, Karnataka, Feb 3: Curtains came down on the five-day Mahamasthakabhisekha, the head anointing ceremony of the 39-foot-tall monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali today, with the repetition of the head anointing ceremony with 1,008 kalashas.

A large number of devotees gathered at the Ratnagiri hills to witness the spectacular event which lasted over five hours. Tender coconut, sugarcane juice, milk, rice flour, turmeric powder, Ashtagandha, sandalwood paste, flowers and Kashayam (concoction) were used for the anointing. The ceremony came to a close with 'Mahapooja' and 'Mahamangalarathi'.

The ceremonies today marked the 25th year of the statue's installation in 1982 by Dr D Veerendra Heggade, the Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala.

The mega event culminated with 'Siddhachakra Aradhana' and 'Nirvana Kalyana' of Parshwanath Swamy Thirthankar.

The main Mahamasthakabhisekha ceremony was held with religious fervour and pomp and gaeity yesterday. This was the third head anointing ceremony, after the ones in 1982 and 1995.

Meanwhile, Dr Heggade was yesterday conferred with the title 'Thirtha Bhakta Shiromani' and awarded a gold-coated silver kalash on behalf of Jain Bhattarakas by Sri Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Panditacharya of Moodabidre Jain mutt.

UNI