THE KHANDAGIRI AND UDAYAGIRI CAVES IN BHUBANESWAR (ODISHA)
Khandagiri And Udayagiri Caves ::- The Caves Located 7 Km From Smart City Bhubaneswar Capital Of Odisha Takes Us Back In The Time And Is Probably The Only Recorded History Of Era That Is Still Shrouded In Mystery, Built Some Where Around The 2nd Century BC By King Kharavela Of The Meghavahana Dynasty,Widely Regarded As The Most Powerful King In The Annals Of History Of Odisha. These Ancient Rock Cut Caves Were First Discovered By A Young British Officer Andrew Sterling The 19th Century AD.
The Caves Built On The Kumari Mountain Range Were Built For The Jain Monks And Offered Them A Place To Stay And Meditate. Out Of The One Hundred And Seventeen Caves That Were Built Originally Only Thirty Three Survival Tull This Day. Eighteen Caves Are Located In The Udayagiri Hill And Fifteen In The Khandagiri hill. The Archaeological Survey Of India (ASI) Is In Charge Of The Udayagiri Caves And Its A Ticketed Monument.
The Major Attractions Of The Udayagiri Caves Are Hathigumpha, The Ranigumpha, The Ganesh Gumpha And The Vyagharagumpha. The Hathigumpha ::- Or The Elephant Cave As Its Known Bears The Inscriptions Of King Kaharavela. The Seventeen Lines Mentions About His Many Conquests And His Way Of Governance. The Ranigumpha ::- Or The Queen Cave Is A Double Storage Structure With Beautiful Carvings Exquisite Carvings Apart. The Cave Is Known For Its Acoustic Characteristics.
The Ganesh Gumpha ::- The Ganesh Cave Known For Its Carvings Of Jain Teerthankar's And Other Sculptures, The Carvings Of Lord Ganesh And Two Elephants Were Added Much Later. The Vyaghara Gumpha ::- Or The Tiger Cave Is So Called Because The Entrance Is Shaped Like The Head Of The Tiger And The Door Shaped Like A Tiger's Throat. The Caves Located At The Khandagiri Hills Doesn't Come Under The Purview Of The ASI. The Major Caves Of Khandagiri Are.....
The Barabheji Gumpha ::- Features The Twelve Armed Sasana Devi's Facing Each Other Along With Trithankar Sculptures. Trushula Gumpha ::- One Can Find The Twenty Four Jain Trithankar's carved On The Walls Of The Cave. The Sculpture Of Trithankar Rushab Dev Stands Out. Ambika Gumpha ::- The Yaksha And Yakshini's Of Each Tirthankar Is Carved On The Walls Of The Cave. The Most Extraordinary Achievement Of These Beautifully Carved Is That Each Cave And Sculpture Was Painstakingly Carved By Hand Using Basic Tools. The Architecture And Exquisite Carving Is Of Top Drawer. The Carvings Drew References From Mythology And History. One Of The Most Poignant section Of Carving Is The Depiction Of The Kalinga War, Where Women And Teenagers Are Depicted Fighting To Save Their Motherland From Ashoka's Army.
The Caves Served As Residences Of The Jain Monks And Were Equipped With Water Source In from A Small Canal Which Passes Through Every Cave, An Ingenious Communication System Through holes. A Place To Light The Lamps And The Titled flooring which Served As A Head Rest. Many Of The Caves Are Double Stored And Its Believed That The Upper Chambers Of The Caves Were Used For deep Meditation.
How To Go ::- You Can Go This Place By Buses, Auto Rickshaw, And Any Private Vehicle From Capital Bhubaneswar. The Private And Government City Buses Also Running This Place From Bhubaneswar. Nearest Railway Station And Nearest Airport Capital Bhubaneswar.
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