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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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Kabini Part 2 - A Boat Ride

The river Kabini is the heart of the Nagarhole National park, and a boat ride on the river is an integral part of the stay at the Kabini River Lodge. The incessant, unseasonal rainfall had marked our stay so far, and heading to the jetty for our boat ride on our second evening at the lodge, we kept our fingers crossed, hoping for clear skies. 

The Jetty... at the Kabini River Lodge




The weather was clear when we set out. However, within minutes, the skies turned dark, and it began to rain. We thought that was the end of our boat ride, but just as quickly as it had started, the rain stopped, and a rainbow appeared in the sky.

The River, with the overcast sky...

And the Rainbow...



Soon, birds began to appear… Cormorants…

Cormorants


Cormorant


River Terns…

River Terns in flight


Snake-birds or Darters…

Snake Bird, or Darter


A variety of Kingfishers…..Pied Kingfishers…

Pied Kingfisher


Common Kingfishers…

Common Kingfisher


And the White Throated Kingfishers too.

Pied Kingfisher (top) and White Throated Kingfisher (bottom)


Lapwings…

Lapwing


Grey Herons…

Grey Heron with a fish in its beak


Painted Storks…

Painted Stork


And White Ibis….

White Ibis


Flocks of herons flew homewards as the light began to fall…



And hidden in a bunch of fallen branches, we spotted a flock of Night Herons, both, adult and juvenile!

Can you spot the Night Heron? 


Night Heron - Juvenile

Night Heron - Adult

Night Herons - Juvenile and Adult

An Osprey swooped over us and perched on a branch…

Osprey in flight

Osprey




And yes, there were crocodiles too, in the water… and out!

Croc! 

Crocodile - so well camouflaged!



A herd of spotted deer were the largest animals we saw!



And we came across people... fishing in coracles




And in the fields.



The sun was setting as we made our way back to the jetty.







As the orb dipped over the horizon, and the night sky glittered, we thanked our stars for a wonderful evening… and wondered what the morning would bring! 

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Comments

  1. NatalieGDecember 23, 2016 at 8:28 AM

    The varieties of kingfishers are wonderful to see! I love your sunset pics too. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 24, 2016 at 2:39 PM

      Thank you Natalie! We love seeing all these varieties of Kingfishers. and there are many more, that I have yet to see! as for the sunset, I guess we can never tire of watching them, whether at home, or out!

      Delete
  2. RajeshDecember 23, 2016 at 12:10 PM

    Beautiful tour of National Park with lovely birds.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ghar ka khanaDecember 23, 2016 at 8:35 PM

    Enjoyed the boat ride with you,thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 24, 2016 at 2:40 PM

      Thank you Ani! Glad you enjoyed it! It was a pleasure to share our experience!

      Delete
  4. IndianeagleFebruary 8, 2017 at 3:27 PM

    beautiful nature.... And Thank You Very Much.........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMarch 17, 2017 at 5:39 PM

      Nature is always beautiful! there is so much to see and enjoy!

      Delete
    2. steve smithJune 28, 2017 at 6:31 PM

      Yes you're absolutely right

      Delete
  5. UnknownAugust 6, 2017 at 8:44 PM

    I want to thank you for this exceptionally awesome write up along with the pictures. Nature is always mesmerizing. I myself had Kabini experience and must say the view is just awesome...I went for long walks by the river either during dawn or in the evening...Moreover the boat ride is the best ever option for an exclusive "boat jungle safari"..

    ReplyDelete
  6. DeveshSeptember 1, 2020 at 2:00 PM

    I enjoyed reading this post so much! Thanks for sharing this tips
    I really like the way you describe the post..

    ReplyDelete
  7. writerJune 10, 2021 at 4:38 PM

    Nice pictures
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