Posts by "Rock-cut Architecture"
The ruins of the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire that flourished from 1343 to 1565 AD are scattered throughout the medieval city of Hampi, located on the banks of the pristine Tungabhadra river. One could spend days out here, exploring the temples and palaces, markets and rock cut monuments, riversides and rock-strewn hills. Most of the gorgeous monuments here were built by the Vijayanagara rulers, but they were destroyed, burnt and left in ruins by a coalition of Muslim sultanate armies in 1565 AD.
The Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves in Bhubaneshwar were built in the 2nd century BCE by King Kharavela to serve as residential blocks for Jain monks. They are built on two adjacent hills which used to be known as Kumari Parvat, but are now referred to as Udayagiri (meaning "Sunrise Hill"), which has 18 caves, and Khandagiri (meaning "Broken Hill") having 15 caves.
There is a long history of Jainism in Orissa. The 23rd Tirthankara, Parsvanath, had done considerable preaching in Orissa in the 8th century BC, while the 24th and last Tirthankara Mahavira had visited the ancient Kalinga capital of Toshali. King Kharavela of the Chedi dynasty had patronised Jainism and built these caves. Even after the death of King Kharavela, Jainism continued to hold sway under his successors.
It takes around a couple of hours to visit the caves. Since they are scattered across two hills, one gets a nice view of the surrounding landscape while walking around. Monkeys abound here, but they dont bother the visitors unless they are carrying food items. Aesthetically, the caves do not match up to the Buddhist caves of the same period, but are, nevertheless, priceless ancient treasures.
