Monday, December 3, 2012

Udaygiri, the Jain Heritage

On the outskirts of Bhubaneswar there are two twin hills and one of them is Udayagiri. 



Here there are large number of natural as well as artificial caves that were constructed from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD.




It is believed that history of the place dates back to the times of Bhagawan Adinatha. During this period the place belonged to the Kalinga region and many brave and strong Jain Kings ruled here. Some of the cave temples were stated at the time of Lord Mahavira and others in the time of emperor Kharvel Ist Century BC and later. 



The prominent sites are:

The ancient idols in these caves stand as a unique example of its kind. We shall soon explore more of this place. 

47 comments:

genie said...

Are you able to walk back into the tomb areas or is it too dangerous. This is an especially interesting compound of buildings. Love seeing the children. genie

Kavita Saharia said...

Very interesting.Will sure visit next time I am in Bhubaneswar.

Anonymous said...

These look fascinating! Can you imagine living in these caves. Do they belong to the government parks now?

Teamgsquare said...

Wonderful and very nicely maintained place .

Lorrie said...

Interesting caves. Have you explored them? The terraced shrubs at the entrance, with the name clipped from boxwood (?) are very pretty. So green and in such straight lines.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Absolutely marvelous!

Ranjana's craft blog said...

Very nice post...never knew about this...I love your blog for taking us through all these places

rupam sarma said...

Nice post and beautiful photographs.Thanks for sharing.

Krishna/കൃഷ്ണ said...

great info and photos

thanks

Chris said...

Hi Rajesh, beautiful photos. I'm just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/

Jeevan said...

Seems the place is maintained well! Wonderful images, Rajesh

Anonymous said...

wow - awesome captures - Though being a jain I had very little or almost no knowledge about it but got great info about this place here :) :)

R Niranjan Das said...

Great place. Would love to visit them someday. Nice photos Rajesh.

http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

krishna said...

I also went there, while i went on puri trip. that was an amazing experience..

DeniseinVA said...

Marvelous photos! I would love to visit India one day. I hope I get the chance.

Sylvia K said...

Wonderful, fascinating captures, Rajesth. What a great place to visit!!

Unknown said...

Beautiful!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

eileeninmd said...

The caves would be great to see, my hubby loves to go caving. Great shots! Thanks for sharing your world.

Fun60 said...

Once again you introduce us to the wonderful history of your country.If the walls of those caves could talk what a story they would tell.

Carver said...

Thanks for the tour of this beautiful place. I love all the green in the first shot.

Black Jack's Carol said...

Your beautiful photos bring mystical imaginings of the people who lived in and around those caves. It is unbelievable that they were able to create such art without machines or technology to help them.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

are the caves going to crumble?

D.Nambiar said...

It's so nice to see these places still intact. These caves and carving are so precious.

Andrea said...

Those dwellings are incredible, and the strength of the structures through time more amazing. I wonder how they differ from those dwellings in Capadocia, Turkey. I also wonder why they lived in caves during those times, maybe the temperatures are too high or whatever!

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic place to explore.

Leovi said...

Beautiful, I like those temple Udaygiri caves.

Indrani said...

Wow! Great pictures.

George said...

I look forward to seeing more of this fascinating place. The carvings look well-preserved, considering the age of this site.

Roger Owen Green said...

I especially liked the topiary spelling out of the place's name!

ROG

Leslie: said...

It'd be haunting to go exploring in those caves!

Leslie
abcw team

Unknown said...

impressive! i wonder if those caves are still safe to explore. i hope there are no earthquakes in this area.

U is for...

carol l mckenna said...

Very enriching post and fantastic photography ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

Hazel said...

Another interesting spot in India. There's always something new to discover in your blog.

SandyCarlson said...

Your posts ALWAYS turn my sense of time upside down.

Joyful said...

Great photos Rajesh. I think it would be fun to explore there.

Vineeta Yashsavi said...

informative with good captures...

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating this wonderful heritage. They were inhabited by Jain monks in those days.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Beautiful captures Rajesh!


Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

LindyLouMac said...

Calling by as another ABC Wednesday participant, fascinating I always enjoy your posts.

Joy said...

It looks, and sounds, like a huge complex. I like the topiary.

Nonnie said...

It's incredible to have something that is as old as these caves. In fact, I'd say awesome!

Tomichan Matheikal said...

How many more places to visit?

Thanks for bringing anoter place on the list.

Anita Sabat said...

Wonderful Pics. Gr8 that you shared :)

Anonymous said...

beautiful place

Maniparna said...

I've been there..Udaygiri , Khandagiri ..nice captures..:-)

Uppal said...

The images are captured so beautifully. Thanks for sharing.

A Homemaker's Utopia said...

Good info with beautiful pictures :-)