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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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Skywatch Friday - Clouds, from a plane

Clouds have always fascinated me... from searching for shapes in their formations to eagerly looking forward to cloudy skies during flights. Which is why I am sharing these images today...





I clicked these on the flight from Mumbai to Jodhpur, when I visited Suryagarh in August...



Looking them over now makes me want to fly off again, on another trip! There are a couple of personal trips looming though, which brightens my day!


For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page.

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Comments

  1. MridulaSeptember 12, 2014 at 7:06 PM

    Lovely pictures Anu.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HansHBSeptember 12, 2014 at 7:42 PM

    A lovely sky, dramatic clouds!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 13, 2014 at 10:52 AM

      Thank you, Hans! They were absolutely irresistible to click!

      Delete
  3. LaloofahSeptember 12, 2014 at 7:58 PM

    These are wonderful! I especially love the first two - it's a surreal and beautiful landscape - uh, skyscape - above the clouds, isn't it? (And how do you manage to get airline seats with such clean windows?!!) :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 13, 2014 at 11:00 AM

      Thank you so much, Laloofah! I was lucky this time to get a seat with a decently clean window... Plus, these are from my camera, which is why the quality is good.. with my mob camera, i could only see the dirt!!

      Delete
  4. Light and VoicesSeptember 12, 2014 at 9:03 PM

    Amazing cloud images.
    JM, Illinois-U.S.A.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Keith WSeptember 12, 2014 at 11:01 PM

    Wow! Very dramatic clouds! Thank you for posting these images.

    ReplyDelete
  6. StephanieSeptember 13, 2014 at 7:16 AM

    The first image is absolutely stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownSeptember 13, 2014 at 7:43 AM

    Great cloud pics. I love searching for images in the clouds...it's a sign a great imagination..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Spare Parts and PicsSeptember 13, 2014 at 9:40 AM

    Stunning skies!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 13, 2014 at 11:01 AM

    Thank you, Felicia!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2014 at 11:06 AM

    Wow - amazing cloud shots.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Freedom SoftwareFebruary 22, 2022 at 9:49 AM

    That was so amazing pictures! Wanting to experience it in real..

    ReplyDelete

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