|
|
Mahaveera's Teachings
|| Jain Yuva Sangathan || The Temple
|| More of Mahaveeras teachings
Gommateshvara
 The colossus, called Gommateshvara,
is one of the two giant sculptures of the world - the other being
Ramases II in Egypt. And both are not only biggest carvings ever,
they are creations of the highest skill of the carvers in Jain archaeology.
In our own country, the Gommateshvara is certainly the greatest achievement
in symbolic portrait sculpture, far beyond the primitivist portraits
of the Nanda Kings of the Sixth B.C. Magadha, and the yaksha figures
of Mathura in centuries immediately before the Christian era.
In this sense the carver involves from the crude earth and triviality,
the weakness which is to become the inner strength of the moral hero.
In doing so the Gommateshvara does not seem to reflect the world,
but absorbs nature himself and raises the earth to heaven.
Gommateshvara was one of the sons of the first Tirthankara Shri Rishabdev.
This is the posture in which he went into penance after he renounced
the world. Creepers crawled all over his body, ant hills were formed
around his legs but he stood still in penance.
Dharamsthala
Dharamsthala is a holy place for both Hindus
and the Jains. The main deity over here is Lord Manjunath. All the
daily rituals are presided over by Shri Veerendra Heggede who is the
Dharmadhikari and is looked upon with great respect and faith. Shri
Heggede has also installed one statue of Gommateshvara in Dharamsthala.
This place also has a few Jain temples and secondary places have beautiful
Jain temples dedicated to the Tirthankaras. The ones in Mudabidri
needs a special mention. In Humcha Shimoga district, there is a temple
of Goddess Padmavati and the 23rd Tirthankara Lord Parshwanath.
jys@apnabangalore.com
Back
to Main Page
|
|
