Person · Ganga general & minister
Chāmundarāya
Also known as Chamundaraya, Chavundaraya, Ranaranga Simha
Commander and minister of the Western Ganga kingdom who had the Gommateśvara colossus at Shravanabelagola carved from the living rock about 981 — seventeen metres of Bahubali standing free, with no support above the thighs. He also wrote the Chāvundarāya Purāna, early Kannada prose.
- Date
- 10th century
- Function
- Authority & administration
- Tradition
- Shravanabelagola inscriptions; Chavundaraya Purana
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
Worth knowing
The statue is anointed once every twelve years in the Mahāmastakābhisheka, when scaffolding is built to its head and milk, saffron and gold dust are poured over it. The rite has run since at least the twelfth century.
Connections (1)
- PatronageShravanabelagola
Chāmundarāya had the Gommateśvara carved about 981 — seventeen metres of Bahubali cut from the living granite of Vindhyagiri, standing free with vines carved climbing his legs to show how long he had stood still. It is anointed every twelve years in the Mahāmastakābhisheka. The anointing requires scaffolding to be built to the statue's head and has run since at least the twelfth century, drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands each time.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Chavundaraya”. The subject’s own writings where they survive, and the standard biographical literature.
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