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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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All Lit up! Lamps from Tamilnadu and Maharashtra

Diwali is over , but kandeels still hang, a reminder of the festival. My post on the festival has been long overdue, and, here is my article, which appeared in print, as part of a series on the festival....
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Faces in the Crowd - Some unusual sellers of wares for Diwali

Happy Diwali everyone!!!! The roads are filled with people selling earthen lamps, kandeels, and firecrackers. But here are some traders selling some unusual wares for Diwali.... Brooms are considered to be a part of Lakshmi, since she only enters clean homes. There are some who pray to brooms at this time of the year, a sort of prelude to cleaning their homes! Gives a different thought to the festival, doesnt it?
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Happy Deepavali! Remembering the celebration at Shegaon

As I sit at home , typing this, the night resounds with the bursting of firecrackers. All around me are brightly lit windows, gaily decorated with string lights. In the midst of this Diwali Celebration, my thoughts go back to last year, when, on this very festival, I was surrounded not by bright lights and sound, but by the soft glow of oil lamps galore....
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Happy Deepavali

It's that time of the year when lamps are lit outside every house and the skies resonate with the colours and sounds of firecrackers. Its Diwali once again... or, to give it its right name - Deepavali - the festival of lights. 
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Happy Diwali !!!!!

One festival is scarcely ove r that its time for another! Its now time for Diwali - the one festival which is celebrated over the length and breadth of our vast nation. While for some, it is the beginning of the new year, the day to start new accounts with, for some it is the day they welcome the goddess of prosperity into their homes. For some, it is the day Lord Rama entered his city after vanquishing the asuras, a day to be celebrated by lighting  up the house, while for some, it is the day Krishna defeated Nararakasura, and thus to be celebrated by having the purification bath and celebrating the dawn of a new life. For most, it is simply the best festival, the one where you get to wear new clothes and burst firecrackers.  What does Diwali signify for me? Well, for me, the attraction of the festival lies in the simple clay lamps or diyas, which I love to buy,decorate and light. Not for me the wax candles or the electric lights. The simple mud diyas filled with oil seem t...
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A Temple tour during Diwali – Part 1

Diwali – The festival of lights…. Everything associated with this festival, celebrated in every nook and corner of this vast land of ours, is related to light and gaiety - new clothes, rows of oil lamps and candles (now replaced by serial lights) lighting up the house, whether a mansion or a hut, and of course, the fire crackers! One of my most cherished memories of Diwali is the one I spent at Varanasi in 1989. Once our ritual oil bath early in the morning was done, we made our way to the Annapoorna Temple to have darshan of the golden image of the goddess which is taken out only that one day every year. We spent more than half the day in the queue at the temple, and were rewarded with a glance at the beautiful trinity of goddesses – Annapoorna in the centre, flanked by Bhoomi Devi and Sri Devi, all made of gold; and the tall image of Lord Shiva, made in silver, accepting Bhiksha (alms) from the goddess. Though we had but momentary darshan of this wonderful tableau, it is fresh in m...
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