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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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Kabini Part 3 - After the Rains

Visiting Kabini in peak summer, we hadn’t bargained for the rains, which dominated our three days at the Lodge. While animal sightings were understandably lesser than usual, seeing the forest in the rain was an interesting experience in its own way. However, as we headed back into the forest for our second and third safaris, we hoped the rains would let up, and allow us to see more animals! Winding jungle paths
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Of old journeys and new ones... and a glimpse of my recent trip

June 2007: Shankar and I head out to Jaisalmer, 4 year old Samhith in tow. It is a memorable trip, one where we walk for hours over the Golden Fort, clicking photographs with our trusted old Kodak camera, as we take turns carrying Samhith and posing! We trudge across sand dunes on camels, even as I close my eyes tightly to avoid the queasy feeling, and then happily play on the sand, though it still retains some of the heat of the day! I return with so many tales from the trip that my sister in law suggests I start a blog. A string of camels walk across the desert. Somewhere in Jaisalmer @suryagarh #monsoonmagic pic.twitter.com/MhSnaIkU4s — Anu Shankar (@anushankarn) August 2, 2014
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Morachi Chincholi - Part 3 - The Natural Potholes at Nighoj, and much, much more...

Please read the first two parts of this series at Morachi Chincholi – Part 1 Morachi Chincholi – Part 2 – Peacocks galore! Having had enough of peacocks for the moment, and sated with the delicious Pohe , we turned to some other activities our hosts had lined up for us – the first of these was a bullock cart ride, which we adults enjoyed as much as the kids did! Amidst squeals of delight, we all managed to climb in and have a tour of the farmhouse, probably making the bullocks wonder why we humans were making so much of noise! The one thing we missed was milking the cows, since that was done early at dawn, even before we awoke. But we made the most of the other resources at the farmhouse, walking on the fields and seeing the irrigation mechanism and in general, learning more about rural life! Samhith and his new-found friend even had a wonderful bath with well water pouring out of the motorized system. Hurrying them up and getting them out of the water was a difficult task, but ...
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Morachi Chincholi - Part 2 - Peacocks Galore!!!!

Please read the first part of this series at   Morachi Chincholi - Part 1 It was difficult to sleep considering how excited we were, but the wonderful weather and the sounds of the night lulled us to sleep, and we were soon lost to the world. Not for too long, however… we were awakened at the crack of dawn by the peacocks emerging from their hideouts and calling out to their mates. Rushikesh knocked on our door to tell us that there was one just outside our window and we rushed to peep out, scaring the poor fellow away! One by one we filed out of the room, cameras in hand, ready to spot and capture the birds on film. It wasn’t so easy, however….. The villagers were so used to them that they hardly paid any attention, going about their morning duties as usual. The peacocks therefore felt comfortable around them, and went about their feeding and other chores without any fear. A group of ten enthusiastic city dwellers was another matter, and they were rightfully scared of us. Th...
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