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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 - Sringeri

The year is almost gone, and its time to look back and remember all the wonderful things that made this year so special. The year was an especially good one for travel, though not as much for writing! I managed to travel almost every month, and, as a result, have a huge backlog of places and stories to write about!!! Leaving that aside for the monent, I will be posting a photo a day from one of my (many) trips this year.... in the order in which I took them. I begin with my first trip of the year.. in January, to one of my favourite destinations... Sringeri.



We performed Samhith's Upanayanam or Thread ceremony at Sringeri, and it was a great occasion for our entire family to get together. On the flip side, we had no time to go roaming around, but just spending a couple of days in the serene environs of the ashram on the banks of the Tunga river was enough to refresh and rejuvenate us!

Posts about Sringeri:

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  1. ArtiDecember 16, 2012 at 5:34 PM

    I remember the guest post on Sringeri. A wonderful place. I would love to see it someday with my own eyes.

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 16, 2012 at 5:35 PM

      Yes, Arti! I do, too...that was the most detailed post I ever wrote on Sringeri. and you should def go sometime to Sringeri, From what i know of you and your family, you all will love it!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousDecember 16, 2012 at 6:43 PM

    I love sringeri.. I visited only once, that too when I m 10 yr old.. its good that samhith got upanayana done there.. its also well known place for vidyaarambha.. don't know when I ll visit there..
    So many posts about sringeri, but also I want to read more about this place!!!
    ..... Dr.A

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 17, 2012 at 5:27 PM

      Its the kind of place, Dr.A that we can never have enough of! I could never visit Sringeri as a kid. It must have been even more beautiful then, before the bridge across the river was built.. you will see a lot of changes now.

      Delete
  3. HaddockDecember 17, 2012 at 4:53 AM

    In fact I have never heard of this place Sringeri..... must look it up.

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 17, 2012 at 5:28 PM

      Yes, Haddock. you certainly must! Its a really beautiful place

      Delete
  4. voyagetravellersdiary@gmail.comDecember 18, 2012 at 9:08 AM

    Nice idea of recalling your whole year travel memories.

    ReplyDelete

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