Khandagiri and Udayagiri Caves

The twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri, located seven kilometre west of Bhubaneswar, are the earliest groups of Jain rock-cut architecture in eastern India. While Khandagiri means a broken hill, Udayagiri denotes the hill of sunrise. There are total 33 rock-cut caves on both the hills out of which, 18 caves are excavated on Udayagiri Hill while 15 are on the Khandagiri Hill. Generally caves are single storeyed but a few of them are double storeyed. The small caves were constructed for meditation purpose of Jain monks and the height being low, does not allow a man to stand erect. As per the inscription at the site, the caves were first excavated by king Kharavela of Chedi Dynasty and his successors who were devout Jains during the first century BC. At the top of Khandagiri, lies a Jain temple, which was constructed in late 19th century. The 18 caves of Udayagiri include the Hathi Gumpha (elephant cave) with its famous inscription of king Kharavela that talks about his military exploits. Another cave―Rani Gumpha (Queen’s cave) in Udayagiri―is double-storeyed, having a spacious courtyard. This cave is adorned with elaborate carvings on historical scenes, dancers and religious functions. These ASI protected hills can be approached through NH-5. While entry fee for Indian, SAARC and BIMSTEC citizens is Rs 5 per head, foreign visitors have to pay US $2.00 to enter the hills.