Hasssan: A marathon nine-hour ritual will set the tone for four hours of bathing the towering statue of Bahubali in milk, saffron, turmeric, sugarcane juice, rice flour and other holy ingredients atop the Vindhyagiri Hill on Saturday, when the nine-day Mahamastakbhisheka ceremony takes off in Shravanabelagola.
The Mahotsav was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on February 7. A team of 20 priests of the Shravanabelagola Jain Mutt will bathe the statue in the rich juices and milk. This will be preceded by rituals staring at 5 am and concluding at 2 pm, according to the head of the event's sub-committee on publicity, Rajendra Kumar.
Speaking to the DC he said 108 kalasas or auspicious pots will be used for the ceremony. Filled with holy water, they will later be used to pour milk, saffron, turmeric, sugarcane juice, rice flour, sandal paste, curds, ashtagandha, chaturkalasa and herbal liquids over Bahubali’s statue, which will later be showered with flowers made of gold, silver and precious stones.
The first day of the ceremony will end with mangalarath at about 6 pm. And following this devotees will have a chance to view the Bahubali statue from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm.
The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) will supply around 600 litres of milk every day for the Mahamastakabhisheka rituals, which will conclude on February 25.
Coconut growers from Channarayapatna, Arasikere, Tiptur and surrounding parts have come forward to supply the tender coconuts for the abhisheka free of cost and a devotee from Tumakuru has donated saffron worth lakhs to the Shravanabelagola Jain Mutt for the ceremony “The police and the district administration have made elaborate arrangements for the Mahotsav,” he added.
