Dharmasthala

Bāhubali on Ratnagiri Hill

Bāhubali, alternatively known as Gommaṭa or Gommaṭeśvara, is especially popular amongst Digambara Jainas, who erect colossal images of the naked ascetic at many of their pilgrimage sites, especially in the south of India. The images refer to a particular instance in which, after a dispute over the right to rule their father's kingdom, Bāhubali renounced his worldly life and entered deep mediations. The colossal image of Bāhubali at Dharmasthala was commissioned and installed between 1966 and 1982.