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 ...
Life , all of a sudden, seems to be throwing things at me, one after the other. Thankfully, amidst all the sudden upheavals and tensions, some at least seem to be good... the silver lining so to speak. Among these have been publications and offers, only some of which have worked out, but at least they offer some hope... The latest among these good things is that I have been interviewed!!! Yes!! This is my first, so you can imagine how excited and upbeat I am! The interesting thing is that I have been interviewed, not as a travel blogger, but as a book reviewer! What is surprising about it is that of the 700 odd posts on my blog, barely 30 are book reviews, and they have invited the least number of comments so far. I have often wondered why it is so, especially when I get emails from people saying they like my book reviews and that they are thinking of picking up the books I have recommended. Under such circumstances, it feels great to be accepted and picked out as a bo...