Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves|Incredible India
On 9th Dec 2023, I started my preparation for the last destination during my last day of Puri, to Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves. Howvever, before reaching Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, I visited Nandankanan zoo, which you can explore by watching my blog related to Nandankanan.
The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are probably two of the most mysterical caves that may have been evolved naturaly or artificialy. These 2 caves (Udayagiri and Khandagiri) are said to have been built during the 1st century BCE under the reign of king Kharavela. There are total 33 caves at present that include both Udayagiri and Khandagiri, where, eighteen caves are of Udaigiri and fifteen caves are of Khandgiri. The Udayagiri cave is under Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and below are the significant caves among the eighteen caves in Udaigiri that you must see when visiting it:
1. Ganesh Cave (Cave with Lord Ganesh shaped)
2. Tiger Cave (Cave with tiger shaped)
3. Elephant cave (Cave with elephant shaped)
4. Rani Gumpha (Queen's cave which is double storeyed)
Below are the major attractions (caves) in Khandagiri that are listed below. Although there may many small caves, below caves are the most significant caves that you must see:
1. Ananta Cave
2. Barabhuji Cave
3. Ambika Cave
4. Trushula Cave.
Among many caves in Udayagiri and Khandagiri, there are caves where, the story of the Kalinga war is inscribed with the paintings of women and other people engaged in the war. The painting and handcrafted work has been made so delicatedly on the walls of the caves, you will be completely amazed. Infact, in Khandagiri hills, there are steps cut out of rocks which are very steep. I would always suggest to walk very efficiently and cautiously over the caves as it could cause accidents due to slippery. Actually, all the caves were used by the Jain monks where they used to perform complete meditation, and even used to stay in those caves, so that, no one could see them and cause any disturbance in their meditation. If you closely look at the caves, you can see very narrow cuttings of rock had been made by the side of every caves, that, might served as source of water for the Jain monks residing there.
Now, as you will come to the sight of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, you will come across a large parking place which is run by the Government of India and is totally free. Inside that parking place, you will get the ticket counter to buy tickets for Udayagiri and Khandagiri. The ticket price for Indians is INR 15 per person and for the foreigners is INR 200. So, if you wish to visit both Udayagiri and Khandagiri, you will have to buy tickets priced INR 30. Now, from the parking place, you will have to walk a certain distance approximately 400 meters to reach the spot of Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves. On your right side, you will see the entrance of Khandagiri and on the right side, you will see the entrace of Udayagiri. Now, while you enter Khandagiri, there are many steps that you have to walk through upward and you can see many monkeys over there. As you reach the base level of the Khandagiri caves, you will be surprised to see the structure and design of each of the caves. One of a sudden, you will beleive that such caves couldn't have been built by any humans. Photography is allowed everywhere around the caves, but be careful of making each steps on the caves, as, this could lead to sudden accidents from falling at such a height. However, compared to Udaigiri, the width of the entire area of Khandagiri is less. As you step down from the Khandagiri cave, you can enter Udayagiri cave just opposite to Khandagiri. As soon as you enter Udayagiri, the caves are much broader and extended to a larger space. There is a steep road (the road is walkable with railings on both side) made for the visitors that directly goes to the base of the Udayagiri caves. Once you reach the base of Udayagiri caves, you will find those remarkable caves as mentioned above like Rani Gumpha, Elephant cave, Tiger cave, and many more. It is all permissible to climb the caves but again I would suggest everyone to cautiously walk over the caves.
The visiting time for Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves is 9 am to 6 pm. It took nearly 1 hour for us to reach Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves from Puri via our private car. One thing I forgot to mention is that, you can visit to Iskon temple, which is very near to Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves, to have your lunch. You may take your lunch from any hotels within the vicinity of Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves, but, I would recommend to have your lunch from the Iskon temple which takes approximately 15 minutes to reach Udayagiri and Khandagiri from there. Believe me, I along with my family, entered the Iskon temple at around 2 pm. Many people take lunch inside the temple premises where the lunch is being served by the Iskon authorities that consist of rice, two different vegetable dishes, Kheer, and chatni, which is so tasteful. The price for the lunch is only INR 100 and you can avail each food items as many times as you wish.
