Located in south Karnataka, they are testimony to the region once being a strong bastion of Jainism

While all eyes are on the monolithic statue of Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola for Mahamastakabhisheka held once in 12 years, there are other statues of the revered Jain monk, a few of which are virtually unknown.

A case in point is the statue at Artipura, also called Bastipura or Basadi Tippur, near Kokkrebellur in Maddur taluk of Mandya district. While the statue at Shravanabelagola stands tall measuring 57 ft and is universally known, vying for the UNESCO world heritage tag, the one at Artipura is obscured to the world presenting a picture of contrast. Almost diminutive in comparison measuring about 10 ft in height, it came to light only in the recent decades and has kindled the interest of archaeologists.

N.S. Rangaraju, a retired professor from the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore, told The Hindu that the Bahubali or Gomateshwara at Artipura predates the statue at Shravanabelagola. “One is a visual wonder depicting maturity of art, the other is a prototype, and the first step in the evolution of an art that reached its pinnacle in Shravanabelagola,” he added. Having explored and studied some of the lesser-known statues of Bahubalis in the State, Prof. Rangaraju said there are at least 10 statues and idols of Gomateshwara and interestingly, all of them are located in south Karnataka. He attributed this to the Jain influence in the region while pointing out that even historically, south Karnataka was a strong bastion of Jainism. It is established that Chandragupta Maurya, who reigned from 322 BC to 298 BC, abdicated his throne and followed his guru Bhadrabahu from Pataliputra to Shravanabelagola where he died. Later, this region was under the Gangas and the Hoysalas who were strongly influenced by Jainism.

Another interesting statue is at Kurubara Basthihalli near K.R. Pete in Mandya district close to the Cauvery backwaters. The statue, which is about 15 ft tall and in a state of complete neglect, is located near a ruined temple belonging to the Ganga period. “However, the statue of Gomateshwara at Kurubara Basthihalli has not been authentically dated. Besides, the statue does not depict artistic perfection, the thighs and knees are globular in shape and disproportionate,” according to Prof. Rangaraju. The village was once perhaps a Jain centre, but today is Kuruba dominated,” he said.

Humcha or Hombuja in Shivamogga district is a Jain pilgrim centre and there are two statues of Gomateshwara — each measuring about 10 ft to 12 ft and belongs to the Hoysala period and maintained by the Hombuja Mutt. But, the more intriguing discovery was a slightly damaged 7-ft-tall Gomateshwara. “It was found near Kattarghatta village in K.R. Pete taluk while road widening,” said Prof. Rangaraju.

The Bahubalis of Venur and Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district, Karakala in Udupi district and Gommatagiri in Mysuru district are perhaps better known. Besides, there is a bronze statue of Bahubali, which is worshipped at the altar of Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola, while the biggest bronze statue is at Moodbidri Saavira Kambada Basadi temple.

While historians may be divided over the antiquity of these statues, as to which is the forerunner of them all, the statue at Dharmasthala is the most recent — installed about 40 years ago. But in 2010, a monolithic 41 ft tall statue was sculpted at Bidadi by Ashok Gudiyar and was shifted to Sonagadh in Gujarat.