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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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Memories of 2012 - Kashmir

Kashmir had been on my wishlist for years and years, but it was this year that the wish came true. Yes, we had less time than I would have liked, but simply setting foot in the state was enough for this trip, especially since Shankar wasn't able to join us. So it was just me, Samhith, my in-laws and my sister-in law. The 12 hour journey from Jammu to Srinagar was tiring, to say the least, but the views more than made up for it!




Srinagar was all we expected... and more.... Staying in a houseboat on the Dal lake was an experience we shall never forget...



Samhith went water-boarding on his birthday..


And nephew and aunt had the time of their lives in the many gardens...



And then there was Gulmarg, covered with ice in peak summer....


Needless to say, we had a blast!!


I have yet to write about any of my experiences... the problem is, there are too many, and I have loads yet to write!!

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Comments

  1. SANDEEP PANWARDecember 23, 2012 at 2:54 PM

    कश्मीर व हिमालय बार बार बुलाता है।

    ReplyDelete
  2. HaddockDecember 23, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    Sigh .... you have ticked off "one of the places to see" and I have yet to go there.
    Well one day :-)
    Like those pictures especially the one of Gulmarg.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DietmutDecember 23, 2012 at 9:08 PM

    beautiful landscape. Warmm greetings and a Very Happy Christmas

    http://dith-plukeenogenblikvandedag.blogspot.nl/2012/12/blog-post_22.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. R Niranjan DasDecember 23, 2012 at 11:35 PM

    Beautiful photos. Waiting fo your detailed posts.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete

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