Gommateshwara Statue

The Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, is a 57-foot figure of Bahubali carved from one block of granite on top of Vindhyagiri hill. Chavundaraya, a minister and general of the Western Ganga dynasty, commissioned it around 983 CE. It is among the tallest monoliths of the ancient world, ranks among the most sacred places in Jainism, and stands for the Jain ideals of peace, non-violence and renunciation.

Jain temples, or basadis, and images of the Tirthankaras stand in the surrounding area, while the second hill of the town, Chandragiri, carries even older Jain sites dedicated to Bahubali's brother Bharata. Every 12 years the Mahamastakabhisheka festival draws devotees from around the world to see the statue anointed with milk, saffron, ghee and sugarcane juice; the next is due in 2030. In 2007 readers of the Times of India voted it first among the Seven Wonders of India.