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 ...
The morning dawned bright and clear , but soon it was a swirling mass of clouds which soon burst and soaked us as we prepared to welcome Ganesha, the elephant-headed God. It looked like the heavens were welcoming the gracious lord with welcome showers of rain, which, incidentally, we had almost given up on! We still don’t have any pujas this year , and as we drove along the highway towards my mom’s house, the rains lashed almost till we reached. Then, they suddenly seemed to give up, and all was dry once more. All along the road , people were getting their favourite lord home, covering up his face, as is the custom. His face will be uncovered only when he reaches home and the prayers begin to install him as the most preferred guest for the period. In my mom’s place , prayers were on in full swing, for we have a special puja to go with Ganesh Chaturthi. We not only invite the child-like elephant headed god, but also his mother Parvati, also known as Gowri. According to myth...