Udaygiri and Khandgiri a set of hills that is just outside Bhubaneswar. Like I said before there are several places in Bhubaneswar and nearby that one can explore that it is a delight for tourists who love heritage.
Udaygiri or Kumari parvat has many natural and man made caves that are carved out in the hills as a monastery for Jains. The development of these caves started in the 1st BCE during the reign of King Kharavela. We see credits in the Haathi gumpha edicts even though weathered some parts are still legible. The script is Prakirt.
We occupied the throne created here for the visiting Queen or King. It is part of the Rani Gumpha the largest two storied cave with interesting carving of Kalinga war depicting women warriors fighting along with men against Emperor Ashok. The women can be identified by their curvaceous bodies and anklets and men with unadorned feet and square cut bodies.
Daily life in the 1st century
Hunting party
The double decker Rani Gumpha with fantastic torana
Our most entertaining guide
Whose throne is this?
The echo used for amplification of chanting or broadcast?
This ornately decorated single cell and the warrior mutilated by KalaPahad 😡
Chota haathi Gumpha
Baajghar the bunker with a built in bed 🛏️ and pillows.
There is also the rasoi ghar and the tiger 🐯 face single cell. Most of the structures have dwarpals. They are not just decorations but act as deterrents for attackers, animals and even men.
Leaving this incomplete because I want you to go explore this place. There is so much to learn especially about the Jain culture that still exists here. To get new perspectives that history books don’t teach.
Later we enjoyed some chaat in Bhubaneswar. Read about it on my food blog AnnaParabrahma.
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