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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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Diwali Wishes

Wish all of you a very happy Diwali….


May this festival of lights brighten your life…..

Our Diwali celebrations began yesterday with a grand Rangoli pattern (a combined effort of me and my neighbour, Aarti), and the house being lit up with lamps of all shapes and sizes. Here are some snapshots……





















Meanwhile, for those who have been wondering where I have been, well, the answer is of course – travelling!!!

We began our Diwali vacation with a trip to Ujjain and Indore where we visited the two famous shrines of Lord Shiva – Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar. This trip, my first foray into Madhya Pradesh, brings me closer to the completion of my Yatra of the 12 Jyotirlingams.

I have barely had time to upload the numerous photographs I have taken, before I am off on another trip – this time the much visited Shirdi, a trip we try to make every year, especially when my sister-in-law Sandhya is visiting……

So, while I enjoy my travels, you can enjoy the photos I have uploaded here.

Or take a look at the slideshow below….







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Comments

  1. MridulaOctober 17, 2009 at 12:47 PM

    Wish you and your family a very Happy Diwali too Anu.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tarun MitraOctober 17, 2009 at 2:00 PM

    Wishing Happy and Prosperous Deepawali to you and your family

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 17, 2009 at 6:40 PM

    oh lovely pics.. Am sure you've had a great holiday..

    The Rangolis are awesome... You should see mine... its absolutely little... (now I'm a bit hesitant to post the pics of my rangoli - ha ha)..

    Happy Diwali to you and your family.. Hope the year enlightens your life with love, laughter, health & wealth!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AartiOctober 17, 2009 at 11:24 PM

    Happy Diwali to u too Anu....Wow, travelling again..lovely, looking fwd to reading it.. gonna chk out the pics now!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. A journey called LifeOctober 18, 2009 at 2:49 PM

    lovely kolams and lovlier diyas.. happy diwali to u too..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anuradha ShankarOctober 19, 2009 at 9:20 AM

    Thanks everyone for the wishes... hope you all had a great Diwali too....

    ReplyDelete
  7. sriOctober 19, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    Happy Diwali, good to see your post :) Travelling! hurrey! thats the best thing to do! :) go go come with interesting stories.

    I love the rangoli,very colorful and that airballon diya is fun! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anuradha ShankarOctober 19, 2009 at 4:05 PM

    Thanks, Srivats.....

    yes, have come back with interesting stories this time round too... and an experience that you might enjoy reading about... but you have to wait till i settle down and start writing again...

    ReplyDelete
  9. indicaspeciesOctober 22, 2009 at 11:37 AM

    These pictures are beautiful. I'm glad you had a good Diwali, and all the best for the completion of the pilgrimage.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bindhu UnnyOctober 29, 2009 at 10:42 AM

    Awesome rangolis!
    Looking forward for detailed posts on Ujjain trip.
    :)

    ReplyDelete

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