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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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Faces in the Crowd - The man at ease, at Norbulingka

We were just entering the main complex at Norbulingka, when my eyes fell on this man....




He sat, absolutely relaxed, at peace, on a chair, his feet on the railing, keeping an eye on the visitors. We smiled and nodded at him, as we went past, and he smiled back, inclining his head slightly, just acknowledging our greeting. He was still there when we returned, and was just as still. 

It made me wonder if I could ever sit like this, so peaceful, and at ease, just watching the world go by. These days, as I rush around, with a thousand things to do, a huge event next week, this pic somehow manages to soothe me. Does it soothe you too, making you wish you could just sit still like him? Do you think you could ever be so peaceful? 

This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about, click here.  
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