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 ...
There are so many places to visit in and around Binsar that it was difficult to decide which to see on this trip and which to keep for another… for one trip is surely not enough for such a wonderful place. Faced with the prospect of Bageshwar-Baijnath and Kausani v/s Patal Bhuvaneshwar, for only one could be completed in the only day we had left, we decided to settle for Patal Bhuvaneshwar, giving precedence to spirituality over tourism. Looking back, it was a good idea, for the trip to Patal Bhuvaneshwar was truly unforgettable, and Kausani is a place we can visit at leisure another time! The trip began on a positive note , the scenery on the route being even more beautiful than anything we had seen so far. The snow capped mountains were visible just over the peaks of the nearer mountains, and I tried vainly to get them on my camera. Unfortunately they were still too far off to be captured, and by the time we approached them, they were enveloped by clouds, refusing to show us ev...