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The Mahamastakabhisheka (lit. grand consecration) is an important Jain festival held once every twelve years in the town of Shravanabelagola in Karnataka, India. The festival is held in veneration of a 17.3736 m high statue of the siddha Bahubali. The anointing last took place in 2006, and the next ceremony is going to take place in 2018.

As the Mahamastakabhisheka begins, consecrated water is sprinkled onto the participants by devotees carrying 1,008 specially prepared vessels. The statue is then bathed and anointed with libations such as milk, sugarcane juice, and saffron paste, and sprinkled with powders of sandalwood, turmeric, and vermilion. Offerings are made of petals, gold and silver coins, and precious stones. Most recently, the ceremony's finale has included an enormous shower of flowers from a waiting helicopter.

History
The Pratisthapana Mahotsava, the consecration ceremony, of the great Gommateshwara image took place on Sunday, 13 March, 981 CE from 3.12 am to 5.06 pm, from sunrise to sunset. The consecration rites were conducted according to the rules prescribed in the Jain texts by Chamundaraya, the commander-in-chief of the kings of the Ganga dynasty of Talkad. It was a grand event, its scale befitting both the huge rise of the image as well as the exalted stature of the host, Chamundaraya.

Among the many rituals in the consecration ceremony is the Abhiseka or the sacred bath. Legend has it that when Chamundaraya attempted to perform the Panchamrita Abhisheka ceremony (bathing the image with five liquids, viz. milk, butter, curds, sugar, and water from an aerial platform beside the head of the idol), to his intense amazement and annoyance, liquids when poured over the head of the idol did not descend below its navel. He tried again and again but in vain. Then a celestial nymph Kusmandini appeared disguised as a poor old woman, holding 5 liquids in a small silver pot and declared that she would accomplish what the valiant commander had failed to achieve.

Chamundaraya first laughed at the suggestion but then permitted her to make the attempt. Whereupon she poured the contents of her small silver pot, and lo, the sacred liquid at once flowed down and completely bathed the image. This old woman was none else than the Gullikaji. Her devotion performed a miracle.The seemingly frail old woman achieved what the might commander Chamundaraya had failed to achieve. Chamundaraya, the great warrior and creator of the image accepted his defeat at the feet of this humble devotee and repented for having succumbed to the feeling of pride and arrogance at having had such a magnificent statue erected. He now approached the task with humble devotion and the Panchamrita Abhisheka covered the image from head to toe. From that time the town came to be known as Beliyagola, the silver pot or a tank of pure water, and the head-anointing ceremony was performed periodically. Chamundaraya erected an image of the old woman Gullikaji just opposite to the colossus outside the door. No better homage or more dignified could ever have been paid by a magnanimous vanquished king to his victor.

The Abhisheka, as a rule, is a daily event for any image in worship, but the colossal size of the Gommateshwara image makes it impossible. Thus only the feet of the image are bathed daily in what is known as Pada Puja, and the head-anointing ceremony, or Mastakabhisheka performed occasionally. Later the ceremony of Mastakabhisheka came to be termed as the Mahamastakabhisheka since it was performed on specific conjunctions of the planets at intervals of 10 to 15 years. This ritual is so impressive and spectacular, with many monks and priests and thousands of pilgrims taking part in it, that it has come to be known the world over, as the Mahamastakabhisheka Mahotsava.

Shravana Belagola
Sravana Belagola has remained for more than 1000 years a great Jain pilgrimage place. Sravana Belagola is also known as Jain Badri. Jain Badri is a true representative of all that is represented by the phrase Jain Religious Culture and embodies the finest and greatest Jain moral codes. It means as much to Jains as Bodh Gaya to the Buddhists, Kashi to the Hindus, Mecca to the Muslims and Jerusalem to the Jews and Christians. The magnificent idol of Lord Gommateśa is representative of the finest elements of Indian iconography. It is a world heritage.

Procedure
The festival begins a few days earlier and terminates a few days after the day of Mahamastakabhisheka. During this period various festivals and pujas take place. On the morning of the grand abhiseka the courtyards in front of colossus presents a glorious sight. On the ground, strewn with layers of fresh green paddy, 1008 coloured Kalasas or pots are arranged in a geometrical pattern. Each pot has a coconut with green mango leaves fastened to it with auspicious colourful thread. Of the 1008 pots, 900 are used for the first anointing 103 for the second and only 5 for the third and last anointing. When the ceremony is due to start a number of Jain priests take up their positions on a tall scaffolding especially erected for the purpose. Each priest holds in his hands one Kalasa or pot of milk and one of ghee. At the signal of the officiating dignitary they lustrate the image first with milk and then with ghee.

After this first purifying bath or head anointing, the Jain priests offer worship to the image of Lord Gommateshwara till the afternoon. At the stroke of one o’clock the great Mahamastakabhisheka begins. In former times, when Sravana Belagola was within the territories of Mysore State, the Maharaja of Mysore State had the hereditary privilege of performing the first Puja of the image on the occasion. As the appointed hour draws near, a thousand priests climb to their places on the scaffolding with pots of water. Suitable music is played by temple musicians while priests chant hymns and prayers from the sacred texts. At the auspicious moment, the thousand pots of water are emptied over the image amidst shouts of Jaya- Jaya. The huge proportions of the graceful colossus, whose head is anointed on that day by thousands of priests and pilgrims gives an impressive character to the ritual. The festival begins about a fortnight earlier and terminates after a fortnight of the Mahamastakabhisheka.

Other Mahamastakabhishekas
Apart from the Gommateshwara statue at Shravana Belgola, all the other Gommateshwara statues in Karnataka are also honoured with a Mahamastakabhisheka festival every 12 years.
 * Dharmasthala Mahamastakabhisheka
 * Karkala Mahamastakabhisheka - The last Mahamastakabhisheka was held in February 2002, and the next will be in 2015.
 * Venur Mahamastakabhisheka - The last one was from 28 January 2012 to 5 February 2012. The next one will be in 2024.
 * Kumbhoj Mahamastakabhisheka - The last Mahamastakabhisheka was held in 2015, and the next will be in 2027.