HOW WAS THE GRAND AND COLOSSAL STATUE BUILT?

HOW WAS THE GRAND AND COLOSSAL STATUE BUILT?

7-APRIL-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------The story behind the construction of the magnificent statue of Lord Bahubali—the world's tallest ancient statue, enshrined in Shravanabelagola, Karnataka—is truly extraordinary. Chamundaraya, the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of King Rachamalla of the Ganga dynasty in South India, commissioned the renowned sculptor Chagada Vambha Deva to carve the statue on Vindhyagiri Hill, thereby fulfilling the wish of his mother, Kalala Devi. It was agreed that once the mountain rock had been given a rough form, the sculptor would be compensated with an amount of gold equal in weight to the stone chipped away during the carving process. Work on the statue commenced. However, upon seeing the heaps of chipped stone, the vice of greed awakened in the sculptor's mind. He took the consignment of gold home; but when he attempted to present it to his mother, his hand and the gold became inextricably stuck together. Distressed by this sight, his mother rushed to the *Acharya* (spiritual preceptor) to inquire about the cause. The *Acharya* explained that this had occurred due to the sin of greed. Upon returning home, the mother severely rebuked her son. "On one hand," she admonished, "there is a son who renounced gold to fulfill his mother's wish, and on the other, there is you—sinking deeper into the abyss of greed. Does true art ever sell itself for trivial scraps of gold? Art is meant for worship and adoration; by selling it, you have sullied its purity. Go now—cast aside your greed, bow down before the Lord, return the gold, and dedicate the splendor of your craftsmanship to the feet of Lord Bahubali with a spirit of selfless detachment." The sculptor's inner disposition underwent a profound transformation. The gold instantly detached from his hand; taking it with him, he fell at Chamundaraya's feet and began to repent deeply. He resolved to observe the *Ekasan* vow—eating only once a day—until the completion of the statue. With immense faith, devotion, steadfastness, and self-discipline, he dedicated himself entirely to the task of carving the statue. Renouncing his domestic life like an ascetic, he took up residence in a humble hut on the hillside. After twelve years of rigorous spiritual practice and penance, the statue was completed in the year 981 AD. It has since become a focal point of faith for the global community—an invaluable treasure of both world history and archaeology. To honor and lend permanence to the sculptor's devotional dedication, Chamundaraya erected a magnificent, six-foot-tall Chagada pillar near this statue—a monument that, to this day, continues to sing the saga of that sculptor's glory.