Jainism

 

 

 

 

 

At the age of 30, he abandoned his easy life to become an ascetic in search of a solution to eliminate pain, sorrow, and sufferings. He spent the next 12 years in deep silence and meditation to conquer his desires, feelings, and attachments, while carefully avoiding to harm other living beings.

Jains regard Mahavira as being the last of 24 Tirthankaras, who, according to Jain teachings, were ordinary human beings, who had attained a state of perfection through meditation and self-realization. Tirthankaras are the teachers, who guide people along the virtuous path towards a life without desire – similar to the Buddhist nirvana and the Hindu moksha (see Religion: Buddhism, and Religion: Hinduism).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most devout Jains become fanatic ascetics, divided into two schools:

Followers of the Digambara school (‘the sky-clad’) are all male, claiming that women cannot obtain moksha. They walk about naked, carrying only a picchi (a broom made of shed peacock feathers, which is used for clearing the ground in front of them, so that they don’t harm any insects or other small creatures), a kamandalu (a water container made from wood), and shastra (scriptures).

The other school is the Śvētāmbara (‘the white-clad’), whose followers wear white clothes, maintaining that ascetics do not have to be naked. They also believe that women are able to obtain moksha, claiming that the 19th Tirthankara, Mallinatha, was a woman.

Today, Jainism has about six million followers, most of them living in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Despite the fact that Jainism has always had a limited distribution, it had a considerable influence on India’s struggle for independence, as Mahatma Gandhi adopted the concept of non-violence, ahimsa, from Jainism.

 

 

 

 

 

About 620 steps have been carved into Vindyagiri, leading to the top of the rock, c. 150 m higher. This rock holds a huge statue of a Jain saint, Bahubali (also called Gomateswara), who was the son of the first Tirthankara. This 17.5-metre-high sculpture was carved from one huge granite rock around 980 A.D., during the heyday of Jainism. The width of its shoulders is 7.2 m, the length of the middle finger 1.8 m. According to legend, Bahubali spent 12 years in such deep meditation that vines grew around his body. A niche behind the statue holds images of the 24 Tirthankaras.

Usually, Sravanabelagola is a peaceful little town, but every 12 to 16 years – depending on the position of the stars – thousands of pilgrims stream into the place to celebrate the Mahamastakabhisheka ceremony. During this festival, a scaffold with a platform is erected behind the statue, from which 1,008 pots, containing sacred water, is poured over the head of Bahubali, followed by coconut milk, yoghurt, bananas, milk, gold dust, and various other offerings.