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Odisha Part 11: Discovering the Jaina Heritage of Odisha at the caves of Udaygiri and Khandgiri

The Hindu and Buddhist history of Odisha , or rather, ancient Kalinga, is rather well known to everyone. Who hasn’t heard of the grand temples of Odisha – Puri, Lingaraj and Konark, or the great war of Kalinga which inspired Ashoka to convert to Buddhism? In contrast, very few know of the Jaina heritage of this region. This is quite a pity, since, just around 7 km from the city, is one of India’s most ancient inscriptions, which throws light on the Jaina heritage of Odisha. This inscription is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, in the hills of Udaygiri. Udaygiri and Khandgiri are two hills located opposite each other, and both are testaments to the rich Jaina heritage of Odisha. The caves at Udaygiri are older, while Khandgiri is relatively newer, but has lasted much longer, and continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains even today. These hills, from inscriptions and excavations of caves, shrines and rock beds, appear to have been a haven for Jaina monks, right from the ...
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Mountains, Rivers, and lots of clouds...


These are what have been keeping me away......



August has been a month with many holidays... and all arrived on weekends, giving us some time to actually get away somewhere... First, off we went to Mahabaleshwar, .. and then this last weekend, we spent at Nashik.



The Western Ghats in the monsoons are a spectacular sight, and the rains, clouds and fog simply made the trip unforgettable! There are lots of posts coming up, so keep your eyes peeled!

Comments

  1. SudhageeAugust 21, 2012 at 2:15 PM

    Eyes all peeled and ready, Anu. Waiting for the posts to come :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. PradeepaAugust 21, 2012 at 6:54 PM

    Love mountains, rivers and clouds. Waiting for the rest.

    ReplyDelete
  3. chitraAugust 21, 2012 at 7:48 PM

    Wow, Anu..you must have enjoyed a lot..shall read when I get time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarAugust 22, 2012 at 9:02 PM

      yes, Chitra we had a grt time.. and in any case, it will take me a while to write.. have loads to write... so catch up whenever u get settled..

      Delete
  4. MridulaAugust 21, 2012 at 8:21 PM

    If that is what was keeping away, may you travel even more!

    ReplyDelete
  5. indiamapAugust 22, 2012 at 6:22 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ArtiAugust 22, 2012 at 10:03 PM

    Looks like you have had a gala time travelling! Waiting for all to unfold, Anu! Pen it down soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. R Niranjan DasAugust 24, 2012 at 12:56 AM

    Splendid capture.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete

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