Shravanabelagola is in the Hassan district, Bangalore. Shravanabelagola is one of the Jain Basadis in Karnataka. Religious places like this reflect the cultural diversity of India. The region is blessed with spectacular view. A pond and two stony hills-Indragiri and Chandragiri are located at Sharavanagola. Several Jain basadis are scattered around these hills. Shravanabelagola is well known as a Jain pilgrimage as it has the monolithic stone statue of the Bhagavan Gometeshwara Bahubali. The town lying at the foot of Chandragiri has a Jain matha. The walls of this religious institution flaunt ancient paintings. It is at Indragir that one will find the 58` tall monolithic granite statue of Bhagavan Gomateshwara Bahubali.

This mammoth statue was consecrated by a Ganga general and scholar Chavundaraya. A traveller can also check out the neighboring aeas of Jain Tirtahnkara basadi, Siddhara basadi, Chennanna basadi and Odegal basadi. Another star attraction of Shravanabelagola is the Tyagada Brahma Pillar. Its floral designs and fine engravings are worth your visit. A number of Jain basadis here dates back to Hoysala times. While some of these are written by Jain sages and Tirtahnkaras the others have noted down by common men. This is truly an interesting historical site. Most of the inscriptions at Chandragiri belong to the 10th Century.

There are over 500 inscriptions at Shravanabelagola. These are written in Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Mahajani, Marathi and Marathi. They have helped the historians in understanding the evolution of modern Kannada language and literature. They also mention the growth of several kingdoms, such as, Rashtrakutas, Hoysala, Gangas, Vijayanagara and Wodeyars. Thus the inscriptions are an important historical source. the ancient Bhattaraka Math is located at Shravanabelagola. This Jain Math belongs to the Desiya Gana descent.

The Indragiri hill is home to a 1000 year old gigantic stone statue of Gomateshwari. This amazing idol is carved out of a single block of stone. Besides having religious connotations it is truly a fantastic specimen of art and craftsmanship. Mahamastakabhishekam is a festival to look out for. It takes place once in every 12 years. During this ceremony the idol of Bhagavan Gomateshwara Bahubnali is bathed with curd, milk, saffron, ghee and gold coins. Besides the view of the adjacent area from the hilltop is brilliant.

Train services are avilable from Hassan to reach Shravanabelagola. From Halebidu, Belur, Hassan and Bangalore this place is accessible by road too. Flights fly to and fro from Bangalore to Shravanabelagola.