Toshali Sands

Khandagiri And Udayagiri: On the other side of Bhubaneswar about 8 kilometres away, lie the Jain caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri. The rock-cut caves built for Jain monks are a rare specimen of Indian cave carvings and art, while King Kharvela’s rock edict in Pali language can be seen in Hati Gumpha (Elephant Cave), and the origins of the walls of Rani Gumpha (Queen’s Cave). It is supposed to be the first depiction of . the dance in our country dating back as far as the 2nd century B.C.

The history of Jainism in Orissa goes back to the lifetime of Mahavir. It is widely believed that Mahavir had once visited the Udayagiri hill in 600 BC. With the power and prominence of the mighty King Kharvela (200 BC), the third ruler of the Chedi Dynasty, ancient Kalinga became an important seat of Jainism in entire eastern India.

King Kharvela was a staunch Jain and a great patron of culture. Although he was tolerant of all faiths, Jainism was injected with a fresh vigour and made the state religion during his long tenure and it was he who got 117 caves excavated at a great sost on these hills during the 13th year of his reign for the Jain monks to meditate. However, except for some 40-0dd caves, most of the others were destroyed by large scale landslides.