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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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Laughing Dove or Little Brown Dove

My in-laws were in Jaipur for a brief period, and that was where we began our summer vacation. While the house was in an area far from any places of interest, we found plenty of things to interest us.... especially birds, which offered lots of scope for trial and error with my brand new camera!! Here are some of my first attempts....

This is quite a common type of dove, known as the Laughing Dove all over the world, but apparently known as the Little Brown Dove in India. (at least according to Wikipedia!!)





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Comments

  1. Santosh BsMay 21, 2012 at 10:58 PM

    New camera...congrats on the new toy and wish you memorable moments with it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ArtiMay 22, 2012 at 1:27 PM

    WoW!! Such wonderful captures with your new camera! The bird looks so happy to pose for you. :)Did Samhith take these shots or was it you? And which camera have you taken? I am myself thinking to buy one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMay 22, 2012 at 3:52 PM

      Thanks Arti!! I have got myself a Nikon P 510.. huge zoom but not dslr... perfect fit for me since i dont think i can handle a dslr with samhith :D and no, he isnt allowed to handle my new toy yet :D though he cant wait to!!

      Delete
    2. Santosh BsMay 22, 2012 at 4:03 PM

      these super zooms are a blessing in disguise for many who can't fiddle around too much with those lenses and dslr's. I too used one for more than a year before hitching on to a dslr!

      Delete
    3. Anuradha ShankarMay 22, 2012 at 7:42 PM

      Oh yes, Santosh!!! it is certainly easier than lugging around a dslr.. esp with a kid to manage too!!! have been telling samhith that i will give him this one when i buy a dslr, but cant see that happening too soon :D

      Delete
  3. ShivyaMay 22, 2012 at 3:11 PM

    What a lovely shot, Anu! That trip with Club Mahindra to Corbett really transformed me into a bird lover too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMay 22, 2012 at 3:53 PM

      Thanks a lot, Shivya! that corbett trip with Club Mahindra was an eye opener in so many ways!!! Wish we could all meet again soon!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousMay 22, 2012 at 6:39 PM

    Lovely post...
    www.deccansojourn.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Roopa pavanMay 22, 2012 at 6:40 PM

    Wonderful....
    http://www.deccansojourn.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMay 22, 2012 at 7:12 PM

    nice pic

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sankara Subramanian CMay 22, 2012 at 10:54 PM

    Great pictures and congrats on your new camera.

    ReplyDelete

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