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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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Lavasa Trip Part 6 - Information


For the last one week, ever since I began writing my Lavasa posts, I have been inundated with queries about the place. Now that I am done with all the major posts, and have just a few assorted photos left, I am dedicating this post to give some relevant details about the place.


Getting there:

Lavasa is about 200 Km from Mumbai and 70 Km from Pune. The best, in fact, the ONLY way to get there, is by car from either Mumbai or Pune. There are detailed driving directions available on the website.

Accommodation:

Lavasa has been planned as a city with a permanent population of about 3 lakhs, and tourist inflow of about 20 lakh per annum. Considering the expected flow of tourists, it is no surprise that there are many options for accommodation. While the first among the five towns at Lavasa, Dasve, is due to be ready by this year end, there are already many options for the incoming tourists.

Ekaant – The Retreat is one of the premier options offered, with the view alone scoring high enough to attract tourists. Added is the advantage of the nearby nature walk, and it is a perfect getaway for those who wish to be away from the maddening crowds. Details are available on their website, and for making a reservation, drop them a mail or call them up and transfer the money to their bank account.

Website: http://ekaanttheretreatlavasa.com/

Tariff:  Approx. Rs. 6000 per head, inclusive of breakfast, lunch and dinner + taxes (rates as told to us on 28th Feb, 2011)

The Waterfront Shaw is where we were put up, and it is the best place if you want to try out various cuisines, enjoy watersports and adventure sports, and generally like to live in the heart of the town. Details are available on their website, and online reservations are possible.

Website: http://www.waterfrontshaw.com

Tariff: Approx. Rs. 4500 per head, including breakfast; + taxes (rates as told to us on 28th Feb, 2011)

Fortune Select Dasve is typically a Fortune Hotel – huge and looks really grand! For details and booking, check out their website

http://fortunehotels.in/HotelResort/main.aspx?Cabc=369&Habc=36&Pabc=1#

Mercure, Lavasa, is part of a chain I didn’t know about before, so no personal information, just their website. Online reservations are possible.

http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-6829-mercure-lavasa/index.shtml

Activities (click on the activities to visit the website for details):

Nature Trail

Bamboosa

X-thrill – Adventure Sports

Lakeshore Watersports

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