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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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Roses

Its rare to see roses in our garden - simply because there are lots of people waiting to pluck them..... When we saw these roses, we were thrilled, for they had been left to bloom in peace, and I rushed to get my camera to capture them forever.....





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  1. MridulaAugust 18, 2010 at 8:32 PM

    Lovely flowers! I think I have the same in my garden as well, maybe I too will post a picture.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ?August 18, 2010 at 8:34 PM

    Looks beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bhavesh ChhatbarAugust 19, 2010 at 12:49 PM

    I'm so glad you rushed to get your camera. Else I would have missed seeing this beauty :)

    Super-nice photos Anu :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bhavesh ChhatbarAugust 19, 2010 at 12:50 PM

    And oh yes, did I mention that considering your suggestion, I tried different ways and have finally got my photo paintings to be sold in INR :) Check out my photo paintings available in INR now :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. chitraAugust 19, 2010 at 3:47 PM

    reminds me of my mom's garden. Lovely pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UshaAugust 19, 2010 at 8:25 PM

    Hey! Thanks for all the bldg garden updates! Takes me down memory lane! Lovely pics, by the way :)

    ReplyDelete

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