Mountaintops hold deep significance in Jain pilgrimage as physical and symbolic sites of spiritual effort, where the act of climbing is itself an ascetic practice believed to help burn off karma. Nearly all major Jain pilgrimage sites are located atop hills to reflect the strenuous journey toward liberation. For the Digambara Jains, the most important of these is Shravanabelagola in Karnataka, home to a massive statue of Bahubali, the son of the first Jina, Rishabha. According to tradition, Bahubali renounced worldly power after defeating his brother Bharata in a duel, realizing the karmic consequences of violence. He then stood in intense meditation for so long that nature enveloped his body, symbolizing complete detachment and spiritual heroism—an ideal deeply revered in Digambara devotion.