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Orissa is well known for the ancient caves located in
the twin cities of Udaygiri (meaning the hill of the
sunrise) and Khandagiri (meaning the broken hill). They
are situated near the capital city of Bhubaneswar.
Udaygiri caves are approximately 135 ft high and
Khandagiri caves are 118 ft high. The caves are
reminiscent of influence of Buddhism and Jainism in
Orissa. The origin of the rock cut caves of Udaygiri and
Khandagiri dates back to the 2nd century BC.
The main attraction of these caves consists of its
stupendous carvings. Of all the caves in Udaygiri, the
largest one is the Rani Gumpha or the Queen’s Cave. The
cave of the queen is adorned with elaborate carvings.
There is also an Elephant Cave or the Hathi Gumpha,
where you can find the amazing statues of elephants
installed on the gate. In the Khandagiri city, one can
find a large number of caves and most of them have been
occupied for meditative purposes.
Some of the popular caves in Khandagiri include Akshay Ganga,
Gupta Ganga, Shyam Kund and Radha Kund. One of the most
interesting caves is the 24-Tirthankaras Cave. It
contains the carvings of the twenty-four Apostles of
Jainism, on the monolithic stones. There is another
fascinating cave known as the ‘Ganesh Cave’. Udaygiri &
Khandagiri caves are one of the famous tourist
attractions near the Bhubaneshwar city of India today.
Udayagiri & Khandagiri Caves
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Dhauligiri
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|| Lalitagiri |
