Udayagiri & Khandagiri Caves

The Udayagiri ('Hill of Sunrise') and Khandagiri ('Broken Hill') caves stand on twin small hills 6 km west of Bhubaneswar. The 33 caves — 18 on Udayagiri and 15 on Khandagiri — were carved between the 2nd century BCE and the 10th century CE as residences and meditation retreats for Jain monks under the patronage of the Kalinga king Kharavela and his successors. The most historically important cave is Hathigumpha (Cave 14, Udayagiri), which contains a 17-line Brahmi inscription by King Kharavela detailing his military campaigns and patronage — one of the most important Indian historical inscriptions of the pre-Christian era and a primary source for understanding ancient Kalinga. The Rani Gumpha (Queen's Cave, Cave 1) is the largest and most ornate, with two storeys, sculpted facades, and detailed friezes of court life. Khandagiri's Ananta Cave (Cave 3) features carved scenes of acrobatic performance and the worship of the Tirthankaras. The caves are a 30-min auto-rickshaw ride from central Bhubaneswar.