World's tallest Monolithic rock Statue - Bahubali,Karnataka,India

Gomatheswar(Bahubali)- 57 feet monolithic ganite statue,Karnataka,India.flickr.com

at the feet of Gomethewara,Karnataka, India trekearth.co

 The monolithic tall - 58 feet and 170 ton statue of Gomateshwara, also known as Bahubali, at Shravanabelagola, is carved out of a single block of granite. The saint is nude  as per Jain custom and  it is so large, it can be seen even from 30 km away. It is located between Vidhyagiri and Chandragiri  in Hassan district of Karnataka, S.India.This state has many Jain centers of pilgrimage though this religion has declined in the last several centuries.

www.hoparoundindia.com

Gomateshwara was a great Jain saint, who according to legend, was the first human in his half time cycle to attain liberation. He showed the people how to lead a blissful life of righteousness by getting rid of jealousy, ego and selfishness. The tall state  was built by Chamundaraya, a minister of the Ganga Dynasty between 978 and 993 CE and is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Jains across the world. we will look like pygmies when standing at the feet of this colossal statue.

Mahamastak abhiskeka  (purification ceremony) is done once in every twelve years. It consists of sacred ceremonial head anointing using water followed by ceremonial bathing using milk, coconut water, liquid turmeric sandalwood, etc. This laborious ceremony ends with arthi (lightning of lamps) after showering of pure water over the entire statue from poorna kumbhas (ceremonial pots) followed by showering of flower petals. A special  strong make shift  tall platform is built for this purpose. The entire ceremony takes place to the accompaniment of drums and chanting of mantras before  thousands of . The next Maha Abishegam will take place in the last ten days of January, 2015.

Ref:

http://www.newskarnataka.com/articles/30-Unusual-Things-And-Places-You-Wont-Believe-Existed-In-India/