SHRAVANABELAGOLA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi who participated in the religious programmes held at Shravanabelagola on Monday could not have the glimpse of the giant monolith of Lord Bahubali atop Vindhyagiri Hills.
He could not take the helicopter ride around the monolith nor could he shower flowers on the statue. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials had raised concerns over the safety of scaffolding and the umbrella on top, as the helicopter rotors could create vibrations and pose a risk to the people on the scaffolding. However, the devotees who were waiting to see Modi from a helicopter had to return disappointed.
“The event occurs once in 12 years and we were happy that Modi will visit. But he left without even seeing the statue,” a devotee at Shravanabelagola said.Modi, however, addressed devotees and inaugurated new projects at Shravanabelagola.
“For the Prime Minister to scale Vidhyagiri, it would have posed a security risk. Devotees had to be cleared and the rituals had to be stopped for the arrival of the PM. Hence, the mutt had advised the PMO that the Prime Minister could pour flowers on the monolith from a helicopter. The same ritual was done during 1981 Mahamastakabhisheka. But this time, the ASI had raised concerns. So the helicopter ride and flower pouring was cancelled,” a senior trustee from the Jain mutt said.
Last week, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had refused to take a palanquin and had climbed the hills by foot.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the last day of the Mahamastakabhisheka on February 25. Among other VIPs, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also expected to visit the shrine in the next few days.