The twin caves of Udaigiri and Khandagiri offer tourists an opportunity to connect with a glorious past. The caves go back as far as the 2nd Century B.C. Built by the famous Jain king, Kharavela, the caves are designed on Jain motifs. The 24 Tirthankaras (reincarnations of Lord Mahaveera, the founder of Jainism) of the Jains form a major source of inspiration and also feature on the elaborate carvings that make the interiors of the caves.
The caves of Udaigiri and Khandagiri are located at a convenient distance of 8 kms from the city of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa. The meaning of the word ‘udaigiri’ means ‘hill of the rising sun’, while ‘khandagiri’ means ‘the broken hill’. The Udaigiri caves are 135 feet higher than the sea-level as compared to Khandagiri, which is 118 feet high. The caves have enough elements to register the influence of both Jainism and Buddhism.
The carvings on the walls of the Udaigiri and Khandagiri caves attract tourists from all over the world. The caves are a direct neighbor of the grander Ajantha and Ellora caves thematically, though there is considerable geographical distance between the two. The largest cave in the Udaigiri segment is the Rani Gumpha, or the Cave of the Queen. This one is resplendent with monolithic carvings that speak volumes about the art of that era. The Hathi Gumpha, or the Elephant Cave, comes in a close second. Giant monolithic statues of elephants stand guard at the entrance to this cave.
The Khandagiri caves sprawl over a wider area. The number of caves is more and many of these caves were used for meditative purposes. Some of the more famous caves in the Khandagiri sector are Gupta Ganga, Akshay Ganga, Radha Kund and Shyam Kund. But when it comes to attraction, the cave of the 24 Tirthankaras take the pie. The statues of the 24 Tirthankaras hold pride of place in elegantly cut monolithic stones. The caves are a must-see for anyone touring Orissa.
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