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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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Book Review: All Aboard, by Kiran Manral

It has been a long time since I have written a book review, and, as the gap grows, it gets all the more difficult. This review is an attempt to break that jinx and get back to talking about books, which are, what I love the most!

As you already know from the title, this post is about Kiran Manral’s All Aboard, a light romance, telling us the story of Rhea, recuperating from a heartbreak, and Kamal, the hotshot entrepreneur. They meet aboard the Aqua Princess, a Mediterranean Cruise liner, and as the cruise progresses, their mutual attraction does too. The novel is fast paced, with all the elements needed to make it a success – there are misunderstandings, clash of egos, another romance on the side, exes who suddenly turn up to complicate matters, and even a criminal to whip things up and make it more interesting!

Kiran’s narrative is as easy as ever, the language excellent, without being highbrow. I have been reading Kiran’s blogs for years now, and her books have the same sense of innate humor, which make them such a good read.

When I met Kiran recently over a lunch she hosted, everyone had the same question – had she actually been on a cruise before she wrote the book? It was a reasonable question, and, it is only when you read the book, that you realize just how impressive her research has been, that she has written about the cruise in such amazing detail, without ever being on one! I haven’t been on one either, but her descriptions of the rooms, of the cruise experience, of the sites they stop at, are so realistic and well written, I found myself wondering if I could ever write about a place so well, without actually going there!

Overall, All Aboard is the kind of book I pick up when I am between books, and want a good, but easy read, to help me relax.

Meanwhile, I am looking forward to her next book - Karmic Kids - the story of parenting nobody told you! - which is based on her blog… the one I have been reading for years, even before I met her! 



P.S. I received a review copy of the book from the author, but the views expressed are entirely my own. 

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Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 6, 2015 at 10:43 AM

    Thank you for the kind words, Anuradha.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GauriOctober 6, 2015 at 12:53 PM

    I was in two minds to buy and read this book.
    Now, I'm intrigued!

    ReplyDelete

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