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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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Mother's Love

The love of a mother for her child transcends all boundaries..... that of time, caste, creed or even species! While on one hand, we were busy admiring the beautiful sculptures at this World Heritage Site, where this special bond had been immortalized in stone almost 1500 years ago.............



The cow licks her calf even as she is being milked.....

and here, a cow suckles a baby elephant!

.........we also saw this bond in action right over the same sculptures....... a scene we couldn't resist capturing for eternity through the medium of this century - the camera!

a goat nurses her kid, oblivious of her audience...
Can you guess the location of the World Heritage Site I just returned from?
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