Travelling with my friends and learning about history is what I enjoy the most. We girls also love trekking and wildlife. Photography is another of my passions and I never miss taking my SLR camera with me wherever I go. In twenties with no major responsibilities, I love travelling with friends. We went trekking in the Elephant sanctuary the other day in Bhubaneswar. As the other passions that we have are exploring the history a I told you above, we planned to go to Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves
The guide told that the Udayagiri or the Hill of Sunrise is the one of the oldest rock-cut shelters of the Janis. Both Udayagiri and Khandagiri have a lot to offer to the history. These rock cut structures are filled with art and inscriptions. The place is situated near the costal lane about 6 kilometers to the west.
Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves Bhubaneswar | Image Resource : commons.wikimedia.org
From Bhubaneswar the out of 24 caves 18 caves are accessible. The most beautiful cave is the Queen’s cave which is double storied. Three sides are excavated with fine walls and restored with pillars. It has some beautiful sculptures inside.
The central wing has 4 cells and themed the victory of the March king. In the middle of the right and left wing there is a small guard room which is finely decorated.
Udayagiri Caves | Image Resource : en.wikipedia.org
In the inscriptions these caves are referred as the Lena caves and they were the very important retreats of Jain ascetics. They directly open to the verandah. Moreover, there is a space provided for the meditation and has very little facilities. The caves are very low and a man cannot stand erect inside the caves
Each cell of the caves is used by many monks and they are plain, but the facades are crusted with sculptures which were worshipped by Jain. Some of the descriptions are royal processions, court scenes, hunting and expeditions.
Udayagiri and Khandagiri | Image Resource : anidiotstraveldiaries.blogspot.com
Today all these caves are numbered for the convenience of the tourists, to avoid confusion.
These caves denote 24 Jain Tirthankars. We explored each and every cell in the cave and returned since we have very little time left to cover other places in Bhubaneswar.
Afreen Travel Bug 