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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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The Vultures of Orchha

I have already written about the monuments and art of Orchha. However, this series on Orchha will be incomplete without one post dedicated to the Vultures of Orchha!




We saw these Vultures nesting on the cenotaphs. It seemed sort of fitting, that birds which live off the dead, were nesting in monuments built for the dead. And, at least to us, they were far more interesting than the cenotaphs themselves!









From what I have been reading, it appears that there are 4 varieties of vultures here, but we only saw this one type, which seem to be Indian Vultures.




Also, apparently, their numbers had drastically reduced due to rampant use of diclofenac in cattle, but now the situation has improved, as we could see for ourselves.




It has often happened that Samhith and I go to see a monument, and get distracted by birds. This was no different, and yet, memorable, for we have never seen so many vultures in one place, ever! It was quite a satisfying end to our visit to Orchha.

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Comments

  1. AartiSeptember 3, 2016 at 12:55 PM

    oh my, what cool captures... :) next time you plan a trip am definitely coming along.. promise to behave and be good..

    ReplyDelete
  2. NatalieGSeptember 4, 2016 at 5:53 AM

    They are very interesting birds! We have turkey vultures here in South Carolina. I often see them riding the air currents as I drive around town.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 6, 2016 at 4:00 PM

    Orchha is an amazing place of tourist interest and you have covered this place amazingly. Good read!

    ReplyDelete
  4. sumit srivastavaSeptember 26, 2016 at 7:35 PM

    orchha is really a awesome place to visit such a wonderful place thanks for share

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJune 2, 2017 at 4:51 PM

    I am stunned with the monuments, vultures and art of Orchha, all are so interesting to see very nice trip you have shared thanks.
    same day agra tour

    ReplyDelete

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