Bahubali - Gommateshwara - Shravanabelagola , India

Bahubali (English: strong of arm) was the son of Rishabha, the first tirthankara and founder of Jainism in the present half-cycle of time.Bahubali is a much revered figure among Jains. After winning the nonviolent duel with his elder brother, Bharata, he developed a desire for renunciation. He gave his kingdom to Bharata and became a Jain monk. Bahubali meditated motionless for a whole year in kayotsarga posture because of which climbers grew around his legs. After one year of meditation, he attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience) and became an arihant. A human being who destroys all inner passions like anger, attachment, greed and pride is revered as an arihant. According to Jain texts, he attained moksha at mount Kailasa and became a Siddha i.e., soul at its purest form (or a liberated soul).

Bahubali is also called Gommateshwara because of the statue dedicated to him. "Gommateshvara" statue, built by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chamundaraya, is a 57-foot (17 m) monolith and is situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola, in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was built in around 983 A.D. and is one of the largest free standing statue in the world. On August 5, 2007, the statue was voted by Indians as the first of Seven Wonders of India; 49% of the total votes went in favor of it.

Read More : Click Here