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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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5 things to do in winter in Shimla - when it doesn't snow!

When you plan your winter vacation in Shimla, you expect snow, even though you know very well that there hasn't been a white Christmas at Shimla in years!




It only gets worse when you reach there, and learn that it has snowed - just about a week back! You are not a great judge of the weather, and you hear conflicting opinions from people, which just makes it all the more confusing - some try to reassure you, saying that it will snow again soon. and others shake their heads mournfully and tell you that you should have gone to Manali instead! Things don't get any easier when you have a 9 year old kid eager to play in snow, and not at all happy with the situation! That is just what happened to us in December, when we visited Shimla during the Christmas holidays. Considering the situation, (and probably knowing the kid in question) you would imagine the kid moody and pouting, and the holiday in shambles. However, Shimla in winter without snow turned out to be memorable... and much better than we expected!! How? Read my post on 5 things to do in winter in Shimla, when it doesn't snow! The post was published on the Club Mahindra Blog, so here is the link...




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  1. ZephyrJanuary 24, 2013 at 7:21 AM

    We have gone to Shimla many times when the boys were young and the only time we got to see some snow was when it snowed a couple of inches and the kids and I played in it even as it melted! The L&M was laid low by an attack of migraine and was left sleeping in the hotel room with a hotel attendant keeping watch :) We went to Kufri and stayed there. You missed Tattapani, which has hot water springs on the banks of the freezing Sutlej.

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    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 24, 2013 at 12:33 PM

      wow! that must have been a wonderful experience, Zephyr! but poor L&M.. to miss out on that! this was my first visit to Shimla, and frankly, i was a bit worried about what it would be like... and i did know about Tattapani, but we had decided not to do too much sightseeing this time... all these were just two days of roaming around. the rest we spent simply walking or lying back in bed and reading :D Tattapani is kept aside for the next visit!

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  2. SFR LogsAugust 12, 2015 at 3:06 PM

    Hi Anu,

    I would have loved to hear your experience as I would be travelling under similar circumstances and want to keep all the alternatives in place. But unfortunately your blog is now not reachable, is it possible for you to share any specific details that would be of help.

    ReplyDelete

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