Home >> Festivals of India >> Jain Festivals >> Mahamastak Abhishek

Fairs & Festivals Of India

||Religious Festivals|| ||Secular Festivals||
|| Fairs & Festivals of States and Union Territories||

Religious Festivals

||Hindu Festivals || ||Buddhist Festivals || ||Christian Festivals || ||Jain Festivals || ||Jewish Festivals || ||Muslim Festivals ||
||Parsi Festivals|| ||Sikh Festivals|| ||Sindhi Festivals ||

Jain Festivals

||Mahavir Jayanti || ||Paryushana || ||Deep Diwali || ||Mahamastak Abhishek ||

MAHAMASTAK ABHISHEK

Literally meaning 'the grand ceremonial head anointing of Bahubali', this Jain festival is celebrated in the town of Shravanabelagola in Karnataka to pay homage to Lord Bahubali. The Jain community holds Mahamastak Abhishek Bahubali, who was the son of King Rishabhadeva, in very high regard, as he was the first to have attained salvation. As a mark of respect to this great saint, his 18-metre high statue, installed in 981 AD, is ceremonially anointed every 12 years with milk, sugarcane juice and herbal powders. The last anointing was done on December 19,1993. At the conclusion of the Mahamastakabhishek, devotees retrace their steps down the stairs with a feeling of fulfillment.