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26-561: The Gommateshwara statue is a 57-foot (17 m) high monolithic statue on Vindhyagiri Hill in the town of Shravanbelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka . Carved of a single block of granite , it is one of the tallest monolithic statues in the ancient world. The Gommateshwara statue is dedicated to the Jain figure Bahubali and symbolises the Jain precepts of peace, non-violence, sacrifice of worldly affairs, and simple living. It

52-442: A mahamastakabhisheka with five liquids, milk, tender coconut, sugar, nectar and water collected in hundreds of pots but liquid could not flow below the navel of the statue. Kushmandini appeared disguised as a poor old woman holding milk in the shell of half of a white Gullikayi fruit and the abhisheka was done from head to toe. Chavundaraya realised his mistake and did abhishek without pride and arrogance and this time abhisheka

78-540: A boy of eleven, ascended the throne on 1 February 1895. His mother Maharani Kemparajammanni Devi ruled as queen regent until Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV took over on 8 February 1902. The yuvaraja was invested as the Maharaja of Mysore, with full ruling powers, by George Curzon , the Governor-General of India , on 8 August 1902 at a ceremony at Jaganmohana Palace . Mysore became the first Indian state to have

104-889: A chance to see it personally will easily agree with the hitherto general opinion. This gives an answer to some critics also who call the Jainas idolatrous. The Jainas do not worship the stone, silver, gold or diamond of which the Images are made. They worship the qualities of total renunciation of the world, the acquisition of undisturbable Harmony with the Infinite, and the identity of the liberated soul with peace everlasting, which these images represent. The event has been attended by multiple political personalities including Krishna-Rajendra Wodeyar in 1910, and Narendra Modi and Ramnath Kovind in 2018. According to legend, after completing construction of Gommateshwara statue, Chavundaraya organised

130-418: A donation of funds. The maharaja was a patron of Indian music, both Carnatic and Hindustani, and Western classical music. He was an accomplished musician and, like his predecessors, patronised fine arts. The maharaja was a connoisseur of Carnatic and Hindustani music himself. He played eight musical instruments : flute , violin, saxophone, piano, mridangam , nadaswara, sitar , and veena . Members of

156-714: A representative assembly, Mysore Representative Assembly , a democratic forum in 1881. During the maharaja's reign, the assembly was enlarged and became bicameral in 1907 with the creation of the Mysore Legislative Council , a house of elders which introduced much new legislation for the state. Ruling families Ruling titles Capitals Overlords Prime ministers Alliance Famous leaders Arts and culture during Mysore Kingdom Government Famous events and moments Mysore Brand Mysore Kingdom landmarks Mysore era firms and organisations During

182-472: Is held once every 12 years, when the Gommateshwara statue is ritually bathed in milk, saffron , ghee , sugarcane juice (ishukrasa), etc. German Indologist Heinrich Zimmer attributed this anointment as the reason for the statue's freshness. The next abhishekam (ritual bathing) will be in 2030. In 2007, the statue was voted the first of Seven Wonders of India in a Times of India poll; 49% of

208-536: Is one of the two hills in Shravanabelagola. The other is Chandragiri , which is also a seat of several ancient Jain centres, much older than Gommateshwara statue. Chandragiri is dedicated to the Jain figure Bharat , the brother of Bahubali and the son of the first Tirthankara Rishabhnath. A Jain event known as Mahamastakabhisheka attracts devotees from all over the world. The Mahamastakabhisheka festival

234-628: The Agra Gharana , including Nattan Khan and Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan , were guests of the maharajah at Mysore, as were Abdul Karim Khan and Gauhar Jan . Barkatullah Khan was a palace musician from 1919 until his death in 1940. Asthana Vidwan Kadagathur Seshacharya has written various works and is famous for his contributions towards Sanskrit and Kannada literature. The maharaja also composed many poems in Kannada himself. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV

260-484: The fine arts. He abolished child marriage (for girls below the age 8), gave special importance for girls' education, and offered scholarship for widowed women. At a time when support for domestic products was pivotal for India's self-reliance and eventual independence from British India, the maharaja encouraged spinning at scale, for which Gandhi greatly praised him. Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV set up numerous educational infrastructures and institutions. Krishnaraja Wadiyar

286-414: The king. In an obituary, The Times called him "a ruling prince second to none in esteem and affection inspired by both his impressive administration and his attractive personality". At the time of his death, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was one of the world's wealthiest men, with a personal fortune estimated in 1940 to be worth US$ 400 million, equivalent to $ 7 billion in 2018 prices. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV

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312-469: The legs and arms culminating as a cluster of flowers and berries at the upper portion of the arms. The entire figure stands on an open lotus signifying the totality attained in installing this unique statue. On either side of Gommateshwara stand two chauri bearers – a yaksha and yakshini – in the service of the Lord. These richly ornamented and beautifully carved figures complement the main figure. Carved on

338-525: The maharaja's noble and efficient kingship, John Sankey declared in 1930 at the first Round Table Conference in London, "Mysore is the best administered state in the world". He is often regarded as the "father of modern Mysore" and his reign the "golden age of Mysore". Madan Mohan Malaviya described the maharaja as " dharmic " (virtuous in conduct). John Gunther , the American author, heaped praise on

364-599: The maharaja's reign, the Kingdom of Mysore witnessed development in a range of fields. Mysore became the first Indian state to generate hydroelectric power in Asia , and Bangalore was the first Asian city to have street lights, first lit on 5 August 1905. Princes from other sections of India were sent to Mysore for administrative training. The maharaja worked towards alleviating poverty and improving rural reconstruction, public health, industry and economic regeneration, education and

390-636: The material is sprayed inside of a form to produce the solid structure. An ancient example of a monolithic dome is that of the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna , Italy , the roof of which is made from a single stone. This architecture -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to an architectural style is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Krishna-Rajendra Wodeyar Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940)

416-506: The name, hence known in the vernacular language Kannada as Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (the qualifying prefix nālvaḍi means "the fourth"). The maharaja had his early education and training at Lokaranjan Palace in Mysore under the direction of P. Raghavendra Rao. In addition to Western studies, he was instructed in Kannada and Sanskrit . He was taught horse-riding and Indian and Western classical music. His early administrative training

442-518: The rear side of the anthill is also a trough for collecting water and other ritual ingredients used for the sacred bath of the statue. In the introduction to his English translation of the Gommatsāra , J. L. Jaini writes: The grandeur of the Image, as also its serene-looking and peace-inspiring presence, are well-known to all Jainas and non-Jainas who have the good fortune of visiting it. When I visited

468-468: The sacred place in 1910, I met some English men and women missionaries, who out of respect for the Holy Image took off their shoes and visited it on their bare feet. They also held the opinion which I have given above. The Image is about 57 feet high; even so, every limb and minor limb thereof is in exquisite proportion. It is impossible to convey its glory and artistic excellence by words. Anyone who has

494-612: The total votes went in favour of it. The Archaeological Survey of India has listed the Gommateshwara statue in a group of monuments in Shravanabelagola known as the Adarsh Smarak Monument. The statue depicts the prolonged meditation of Bahubali . The motionless contemplation in kayotsarga (standing still) posture led to the growth of climbing vines around his legs. The nagna (nude) image of Gommateshwara has curly hair ringlets and large ears. The eyes are half open, sight rested on nose showcasing his detachment to look on

520-417: The world. His facial features are perfectly chiseled with a faint touch of a smile at the corner of the lips that embodies a calm inner peace and vitality. His shoulders are broad, the arms stretch straight down and the figure has no support from the thigh upwards. There is an anthill in the background which signifies his incessant penance. From this anthill, emerge a snake and a creeper which twine around both

546-540: Was born on 4 June 1884 in Mysore Palace as the son of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X and Maharani Kempananjammanni Devi . After the sudden death of his father in Calcutta in 1894, the widowed queen mother Kempananjammanni Devi ruled the state as regent from 1895 to 1902, until Krishnaraja Wadiyar reached the age of majority on 8 August 1902. Upon accession to the throne, he became the fourth king of Mysore by

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572-573: Was built around 983 CE during the Western Ganga dynasty and is one of the largest free-standing statues in the world. It was regarded the tallest Jain statue until 2016. The construction of the statue was commissioned by the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya . Neighbouring areas have Jain temples known as basadis and several images of the Tirthankaras . Vindyagiri Hill

598-522: Was done from head to toe. Monolithic architecture The terms monolith and monolithic column are normally used for objects made from a single large piece of rock which is detached from the ground. They may have been moved a considerable distance, as with several ancient Egyptian obelisks , which have been moved around the world. Buildings with a structural material that is poured into place, most commonly concrete , can also be described as monolithic. Extreme examples are monolithic domes , where

624-492: Was imparted by Sir Stuart Fraser of the Bombay Civil Service . The study of the principles of jurisprudence and methods of revenue administration was supplemented by extensive tours of the state during which he gained immense knowledge of the nature of the country which he was later to govern. Shortly after the death of his father Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X on 28 December 1894, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, still

650-474: Was the first chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (whose co-founder he also was) and the University of Mysore (whose founder he was). The latter was the first university chartered by an Indian province. The Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore , which was initiated during his mother's tenure as regent, functionally started during his reign in 1911 with a gift of 371 acres (1.5 km ) of land and

676-505: Was the twenty-fourth Maharaja of Mysore , reigning from 1902 until his death in 1940. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is popularly deemed a rajarshi , or 'saintly king', a moniker with which Mahatma Gandhi revered the king in 1925 for his administrative reforms and achievements. He was a philosopher king, seen by Paul Brunton as living the ideal expressed in Plato 's Republic . Herbert Samuel compared him to Emperor Ashoka . Acknowledging

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