Devotees pray at the foot of the statue of Bahubali on Tuesday. (AFP)

Bangalore, Feb. 7: After 11 years of tranquillity, the 2,300-year-old hamlet of Shravanabelagola will come alive with 30 lakh footfalls over the next 12 days.

From tomorrow till February 19, the Jain pilgrimage centre 140 km southwest of Bangalore will host the 12-yearly Mahamasthakabishekha of Lord Gomateshwara, with its 1,000-year-old Bahubali statue being anointed in a series of ceremonies.

The event was last held in December 1993 and was put off by a few months this time because of the severe drought prevailing in the region over the past couple of years.

The 58.8-foot statue, the world’s tallest made from a single stone, stands atop the Vindhyagiri, a climb of 650 steps from the foot of the hill. It was sculpted in AD 981.

The preparations, which cost the state and central governments Rs 100 crore, are gargantuan. The temporary lodgings set up for the pilgrims create an illusion of five satellite townships having sprung up around the hamlet.

The railways today opened a railway station in the town and a 44-km line ? with 22 overbridges and 22 underbridges ? connecting it to Hassan, the district headquarters. A helipad has been built for VIPs.

But many, including more than 200 Jain monks, have preferred to make it on foot across thousands of kilometres.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam opened the year-long celebrations on January 22, but the ceremonies start tomorrow, with the statue’s head being washed with holy water from a kalash at 10.30 am under the guidance of Acharya Shri Vidyanandji Munimaharaj.

A scaffolding supports a platform behind the statue for priests and donors to shower their offerings: holy water, coconut water, sugarcane juice, milk, rice, flour and sandal paste. The kalashs have been auctioned and the proceeds will go to the math (monastery). The first kalash of holy water will be poured by Ashok Kumar Patni from Rajasthan, who donated Rs 1.08 crore for a children’s hospital at Shravanabelagola. It was inaugurated by Kalam during his visit.

The offerings will include showers of silver and gold coins along with flowers brought from five countries.

The Centre has spent Rs 75 crore on the preparations and Karnataka Rs 25 crore. Rooms for the pilgrims range from the spartan to the air-conditioned. The government has laid roads, set up tents, arranged for drinking water and sanitation, and built huge bhojanshalas (dining halls).

The Jain religious institution headed by Charukeerti Bhataraka Swamiji has been planning for this event for more than two years now.

Karnataka, which is running special buses from other districts and neighbouring states, has arranged for the pilgrims to visit the nearby religious places and tourist spots.