If you ask me, I would say that I want to buy a big house with at least 3 bedrooms and spend heavily on my clothes and the remaining I would keep as deposit for my old age. But, what plans do rich people have?
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Recently, a rich man, Ashok Patni, from Rajasthan, spent a whopping 11.6 crore INR on the opportunity to bathe the world's most tallest monolithic statue. This 58.8 feet tall statue of 'Gomateshwara/Bahubali' stands tall on Vindhyagiri hills in Shravanabelagola. The place is a famous pilgrimage among people who follow Jainism. The pilgrimage centre hosts head anointment of this huge monolithic statue once in 12 years and that attracts Jain's from corners of the world. The holy ritual is known as Mahamastakabhisheka.
People have to bid for the opportunity to bathe the 'gomateshwara' first with a kalash (holy vessle) filled with sandal wood paste, honey, ghee, milk, and every other heavenly nectar that is available on earth.
This year the bid for the first holy vessle went up to 11.6 crore INR and was bagged by Patni who is a businessman. Authorities say that the bid amount would be invested in construction of a multi speciality hospital in the city.
Tons of milk and other things get wasted in this mahamastabhisheka. I am not against religious practices, but against wastage of food. There are millions of hungry people who would be happy if you fed them the milk which otherwise is flowed down the drain by bathing the monolithic statue. Not only this, we Indians have a habit of bathing all our Gods and goddesses in similar ways. I think we should give our dieties a simple water bath and keep other edible commodities for those unfortunate people who cannot have proper food. Does god ask for all this? No, peace and harmony is what god demands.
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