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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 - Sunset at Binsar


Sunset at Binsar

Each day, the sun setting over the mountains looked different, and it was a wonderful sight to see, sitting in the balcony of our log hut at Manipur Villa, part of the Club Mahindra Binsar Valley resort.....

For more images from around the world, go to Skywatch Friday


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  1. indicaspeciesApril 9, 2010 at 2:50 PM

    This is a fabulous sight of the sunset in those mountains! Beautiful shot Anu.

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  2. JossieApril 9, 2010 at 6:17 PM

    Amazing sunset. And you have that every day?

    ReplyDelete
  3. MridulaApril 9, 2010 at 7:09 PM

    Sunsets in mountains are extra special!

    ReplyDelete
  4. chitraApril 9, 2010 at 7:55 PM

    Awesome picture!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. muthuApril 10, 2010 at 6:51 PM

    Wow, the sun does look really poignant.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. KcalpeshApril 14, 2010 at 8:40 AM

    Absolutely mesmerizing and beautiful! What a shot!

    Pixellicious Photos

    ReplyDelete

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