Mahamastakabhisheka

Mahamastakabhisheka
Anointing of the Gommateshwara statue in 2006
Also called	Translation: Head Anointing of Gommateshwara
Observed by	Jains
Type	Religious
Significance	Completion of the statue of Gommateshwara statue
Celebrations	Anointing the statue of Gommateshwara with milk, saffron, sugarcane juice, sandal paste, rice flour , flowers etc.
Observances	Prayers, Jain rituals
Date	Decided by the luni-solar Jain calendar
Frequency	every 12 years

The Mahamastakabhisheka ("Grand Consecration") refers to the abhiṣeka (anointment) of the Jain idols when held on a large scale. The most famous of such consecrations is the anointment of the Bahubali Gommateshwara statue located at Shravanabelagola in Karnataka, India. It is an important Jain festival held once every 12 years. It is an integral part of the ancient and composite Jain tradition.

The festival is held in veneration of a 17.4-metre (57 ft) high monolithic statue of the Siddha Bahubali. The anointing last took place in February 2018, and the next ceremony will take place in 2030.^[1] The ceremony in 2018 is said to be the 88th in the series that commenced in the year 981 AD and was the second Mahamastakabhisheka of the 21st century. The ceremony is expected to be graced by numerous Jain ascetics. The February 2018 event was held under the leadership of Charukeerthi Bhattaraka Swamiji of Shravanabelagola from 17 to 25 February 2018.^[2]