Mahamasthakabhisheka preparations begin today

BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will visit Shravanabelagola ­ the world-renowned Jain pilgrimage centre in Hassan, Karnataka ­ on Monday to kickstart a few developmental projects ahead of the Mahamasthakabhisheka celebrations scheduled in February next year.

The celebrations, held once in 12 years, will begin with an inaugural on February 7.The actual Mahamasthakabhisheka (anointment) of the statue of Gommateshwara, however, will begin on February 17 and go on till February 25.

About 3.5 million people are expected to participate from all over the world, said animal husbandry minister A Manju, who also heads the Mahamasthakabhisheka Celebrations Committee.Shravanabelagola is the holy site of worship for Jains in Karnataka. It also has Jain temples in places such as Karkala, Moodabidri and Dharmasthala. In 2006, when the last Mahamasthakabhisheka happened, about 1.4 million people participated in the event, the minister added.



Siddaramaiah will lay the foundation stones for Yatri Niwas and Prakrutha University, and launch upgrading of several other projects.

The government will create infrastructure in the town ­ some of which will not only meet the tourists' needs during the event, but will remain thereafter. “The Mahamasthakabhisheka that we will have next year is the 89th one,“ said Manju. The government, he said, is building 12 temporary townships on 700-acres of leased land that can accommodate 25,000 people. “We will be providing accommodation to devotees and tourists for a nominal fee. The government is also relaying all the roads leading to Shravanabelagola,“ he said.

The government will be beautifying the entire Shravanabelagola, and spruce up critical infrastructure such as power supply and hospitals. The government is also building scaffolding and other structures in such a way that about 10,000 people can perform pooja at a time, the minister in-charge of Hassan district said.

The state has released Rs. 175 crore for the festivities, and can also dip into the funds the Centre has allocated for events under the Finance commission transfer.