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 ...
We look forward to vacations to get away from our routine lives and de-stress, but planning a vacation is quite stressful at times too! First, there comes the ever present question – where to go! In a country like ours, there is so much to see and so much to experience that it is never easy to decide where to go, especially these days when I read so many travel blogs and wish I could visit all the places I read about. And then, there are all the places I have already visited, yet want to visit again….and again…. and again! One such place I have visited umpteen number of times before (actually, I did count the number of visits, and it turns out that this was my 11 th ) is Tirupati. I first went there when I was about 8 or 9, and since then have gone there regularly, but somehow, the place beckons again and again. My last two visits were fleeting ones, where I barely had time to see the Lord, which left me rather unsatisfied. The desire to visit again was growing, and I finally c...