The Gommateshwara statue is a 17-metre monolithic sculpture of Lord Bahubali — the Jain ascetic who stood motionless in meditation for a year while creepers grew up his legs — carved in 981 AD on the summit of Vindhyagiri Hill. It is considered the tallest freestanding monolithic statue in the world (a claim that occasionally needs context, given the different ways "monolithic" and "freestanding" are defined, but the statue is genuinely extraordinary). The figure is visible for miles across the Deccan plain.
Reaching it requires climbing 614 rock-cut steps barefoot — shoes must be removed at the base and the hot stone is a consideration in summer. The climb takes about 20–30 minutes for a reasonably fit person. At the top, the scale of the statue is striking: the figure is 17 metres but stands with a serenity that makes the size feel right. The views across the surrounding plains from the hilltop are panoramic, and several smaller Jain shrines line the path to the summit.