Bahubali – Shravanabelagola, Karnataka

Bahubali was the son of the first Tirthankara – Rishabhnathji as per the Jain tradition and is generally regarded as the first to attain siddhapada – freedom from the cycle of births and deaths.

Consecrated in the 980s C.E. and carved in hard granite; the statue of Bahubali at the scenic hill of Vindhyagiri, towers over the town of Sharavanbelagola. The 58 feet+ tall monolith was conceived, commissioned and executed by the Ganga general, Chamudaraya, to fulfil his mother’s wish.

One of the wonders of India, the calm and gentle yet majestic Gommatesvara is a stark reminder of the rich cultural practice of abandoning the mortal body – kayotsarga in favour of attaining kevala jnana – absolute knowledge.

Garima Chaudhry

Garima is a corporate leader and the Founder and Editor of Cultural Samvaad. Passionate about understanding India’s ancient 'संस्कृति 'or culture, she believes that using a unique idiom which is native to our land and her ethos, is the key to bringing equitable growth and sustainable change in India.

Deeply interested in Indic Studies, Garima has been a visiting faculty member for over a decade at the Mumbai University and K J Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies among others. She has taught diploma, graduate and post graduate courses in Development of Religious Thought in India, Hindu Thought and Purakatha, Buddhism and Comparative Mythology among others. She also conducts immersive workshops for various cohorts on appreciating India and her past, her dharmic traditions and her enduring values, stories and symbols.

In her corporate avataar, Garima runs Hiranya Growth Partners LLP, a boutique consulting and content firm based in Mumbai. She is a business leader with over 25 years of experience across Financial Services, Digital Payments and eCommerce, Education and Media at Network18 (Capital18 and Topperlearning), Citibank and TAS (the Tata Group). Garima is an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur and an Economics and Statistics Graduate.

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