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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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Bringing Ganesha Home

Ganesh Chaturthi is here, and all around me yesterday were people bringing their Ganesha home.


Usually this is a time when my home is buzzing with activity, but this year I have a break since we can not perform the puja. I am planning to visit a few pandals around our home, though, so will try to post more photos....

P.S. Incidentally, I just realised that this is my 555th post on the blog!!
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  1. MridulaSeptember 20, 2012 at 8:39 PM

    Lovely capture Anu!

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  2. ArtiSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:18 PM

    Ah, Anu... I was eagerly waiting for your Ganpati celebrations post. But never mind, will definitely enjoy my pandal hopping with you :) I am also looking forward to covering a bit of the festivities.

    PS: Congratulations! 555 is huge. You have been an inspiration to me since long. Keep blogging :)

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    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 20, 2012 at 9:25 PM

      Thanks so much, Arti! Looking forward to reading your ganpati blogs now!

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  3. ZephyrSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:12 AM

    Wish you many more such milestones. I Can't even imagine that figure. Truly mind boggling. And hey, did you notice that boggling is an anagram of blogging? :)

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    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:32 AM

      Thanks so much, Zephyr!! Actually, I have been trying to increase that figure by posting daily, but every time I try, I end up not writing for the whole month!!! as to the anagram, wow!! trust you to come up with something like this!! had never noticed it before!!!

      Delete

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