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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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Star Tortoise

He was the star attraction at the Jaipur House, Mount Abu.





From the minute Samhith laid eyes on him (or her), he was captivated. We stayed at the hotel for 3 days, and every morning, afternoon, evening and night we spent there, Samhith just HAD to go to the garden to check if he was eating/sleeping/just sitting there, or maybe hiding from all the attention he was getting!



The Star tortoise was definitely the star of the hotel!

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  1. Baby Sebamed IndiaOctober 4, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Hi! Those are great shots and it seems like the trip was quite an adventure. 
    We at Baby Sebamed India thought you might be interested in our 'My Baby Rocks Contest". It's simple so do participate. Link: http://on.fb.me/babyrocks

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