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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 2013 - Travel Vignettes - Wayanad

Our trip to Wayanad was probably the 'Trip of the year'! To begin with, it was partly sponsored by Thomas Cook, and it was a new experience for me, to have someone plan my trip! Second, and more importantly, this was the very first time Samhith and I went on a vacation alone! And finally, Wayanad itself was so unexpected, it was truly a journey of discovery! From the Indian Rock Python we saw in the wild...





to the ancient, crumbling temple that turned out to be so interesting...



From trying to decipher the prehistoric cave paintings of Edakkal...



to sailing on a simple bamboo raft in the river..


Wayanad was full of surprises... and magical moments to remind us of the trip, forever!

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Comments

  1. MridulaDecember 22, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    In the bamboo river raft picture both of you look so happy!

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    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 22, 2013 at 11:36 AM

      Yes, Mridula! It was such a different experience for us.... me for the adventure of it all, which I usually shy away from,,, and for him, the experience of swimming along side the raft, keeping up with its pace! unforgettable experience!

      Delete

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