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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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Skywatch Friday



The Sunset at Alibag....


This was one of the pics we took on our visit to Alibag last year, and I especially love this one... esp since there is a couple in the frame against the backdrop of the setting sun.... romantic, wouldn't you say??? And for those of you who like to look further, there is a small bird there too.....

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Comments

  1. Bhavesh ChhatbarFebruary 19, 2010 at 3:49 PM

    Oh ya! I saw the bird too!! Very beautiful take!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AartiFebruary 19, 2010 at 4:03 PM

    Lovely shot Anu... i saw the birdie on left before reading ur note... :D

    romantic picture :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. isabella kramer - vereditFebruary 19, 2010 at 4:04 PM

    Absolut wundervoll, eine Stimmung zum Träumen.

    liebe Grüße aus Deutschland

    Isabella

    ReplyDelete
  4. sriFebruary 19, 2010 at 4:42 PM

    like a golden empire it is! very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. MridulaFebruary 19, 2010 at 5:22 PM

    That is a lovely sunset.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 19, 2010 at 5:40 PM

    @Bhavesh: Thanks... knew u would spot it!!

    @Aarti: Thanks a lot.... that was fast!!

    @veredit: Thanks so much!

    @Sri: Thanks... yes, it is..absolutely!

    @Mridula: Thanks...

    ReplyDelete
  7. CommonweederFebruary 19, 2010 at 6:46 PM

    Beautiful and romantic photo. More than 20 years ago we were in Mumbai and our hotel was right across from the Arabian Sea. it was a memorable trip!

    ReplyDelete
  8. arabesqueFebruary 19, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    ooh, i love sunsets like these, romantic but wistful, and yes, i do catch that tiny lil bird on the side. ^0^

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 19, 2010 at 7:35 PM

    @commonweeder:Thanks a lot.... WoW! a room facing the sea in Mumbai? Must have been great!!! I love going to the sea face.. its always feels so calm and peaceful inspite of all the crowd and noise....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 19, 2010 at 7:37 PM

    @Arabesque:Thanks...... glad u found the bird :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. chitraFebruary 19, 2010 at 9:14 PM

    I too saw the birdie. Good shot.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tarun MitraFebruary 19, 2010 at 10:31 PM

    Very Romantic

    targetaimshoot.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Photo CacheFebruary 19, 2010 at 11:10 PM

    What a gorgeous sunset. I love the couple walking along the beach.

    I have my sunset over at http://ewok1993.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. subu.psFebruary 20, 2010 at 7:58 AM

    lovely shot!! good frame, the color of sky, the reflection in wet sand.. beautiful..

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bhavesh ChhatbarFebruary 20, 2010 at 1:10 PM

    There's Happy 101 Award for your blog on my blog.

    ReplyDelete

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