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 ...
Recently bestowed a World Heritage Status, Dharasuram is surely one of the most beautiful temples in this area. It forms a sort of trinity along with two other grand temples – the big temple at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram. While it was Raja Raja Cholan who built the Brihadeeshwara Temple at Thanjavur, it was his son, Rajendra Cholan who was responsible for the beautiful architecture of Gangaikonda Cholapuram. His son, Raja Raja Cholan II is the one who built this beautiful temple at Dharasuram. Thus, across three generations, from grandfather to grandson, they kept alive the tradition of creating beauty aligned with faith, and leaving behind stones which speak more about their creators than records will ever do. Dharasuram is the place where Indra’s elephant Airavata performed penance and was blessed by Lord Shiva. Hence the main deity is Airavateswarar, and his consort is Periyanayaki. Here is a photo blog about this wonderful temple. From Diwali 08 - Thanjvur ...