The Mahamastakabhisheka is a ceremony at Sharvanabelagola in Karnataka. It is held once in 12 years. This year, the 88th ceremony was inaugurated by the President of India. President Ramnath Kovind was invited to perform initiated the ceremony in the Hassan district of Karnataka.
The ceremony
The anointing ceremony is said to be held from 17th February till the 25th of the month. The president at the ceremony also delivered an address. Although his address was in Hindi, he called the ceremony an icon of cultural integration. He also drew on the example of the Governor of Bihar visiting Vaishali and Pawapuri, two other sites of Jain worship. Ramnath Kovind also highlighted the importance of the philosophy of ‘ahimsa’. He was accompanied by the chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah.
The President mentioned that he was blessed to be part of this event. He was also called upon to light the lamp marking the beginning of the event. He talked about the Jain philosophy and recalled the history of Jainism in India. He said it represented the culture and heritage of the country. He also spoke about the history of Shravanabelagola and the origins of the historic site going back to the Maurya dynasty.
Political significance
Siddaramaiah also referred to the importance of the religion. He spoke about how it taught the country the value of sacrifice. He said that it was this of the country that made it special and everyone must respect other religions. He said if these differences can be surpassed all the strife between castes and religion would end. These ceremonies mark a big political strategy to appeal to the religious sentiments of the people in the state. One must pay attention to the strategies of the two parties, their religious activity nearing the elections will also increase profoundly. This ceremony is only one of the examples from the past and for the future.