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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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Crabs at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Returning from the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, as we waited for our boat, I noticed some movement on the rocks near the water. Zooming in with my camera helped, and I saw these crabs busy clambering all over. It was Samhith I thought about, since it was he was so fascinated by crabs and spiders. Since he wasn't with me, the least I could do was click some photos! So, this post is dedicated to Samhith! 






I have no idea about the name of these crabs, though a rudimentary search leads me to think that these might be some variety of Purple Crabs, albeit greenish in colour. My nature expert friends, please help!!! 





It is fascinating to see that I clicked more photos of the crabs than I did of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial! Interesting to see what captures your attention, where, right? 

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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