Rock carvings of numerous ascetics in meditation positions on Indragiri Hill (photo)

Shravanabelagola is a city located in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 158 km from Bangalore. Bahubali, also called Gomateshwara, was an Arihant. According to Jainism he was the second of the hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, Rishabha and king of Podanpur. A monolithic statue of Bahubali referred to as "Gommateshvara" built by the Ganga minister and commander Chamundaraya is situated 60 feet (18 m) above a hill in a place called Shravanabelagola. It was built in the 10th century AD. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, devotees and tourists from all over the world flock to the statue once in 12 years for an event known as Mahamastakabhisheka. Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various worldly pleasures, often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals.