A special publication of The Hindu’s Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatha Temple: Essence of Dharma brought out on the occasion of the fourth Mahamastakabhisheka beginning at Dharmasthala on Saturday will be released at a function in the temple town on Friday.
The 10-day Mahamastakabhisheka is held once in every 12 years.
The special volume unfolds the unique culture Dharmasthala represents.
It will be released at the function to be attended by Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swamiji of Shravanabelagola, D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala, and H.D. Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister, among others at 3 p.m.
Dharmasthala represents a rare religio-cultural synthesis, the worship of both Hindu deities and Jain sages.
Vaishnavite Brahmins officiate over the ceremonies and a Jain family looks after the administration as the traditional Dharmadhikaris.
A 39-foot monolith of Jain sage Bahubali weighing 210 tonnes was consecrated on the Ratnagiri Hill in the temple town in February 1982.
The Mahamastakabhisheka of Bahubali has since been performed thrice in 1982, 1995 and in 2007, with a grand spectacle that brought together many Jain monks and people from all over the country and beyond.