Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves

Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves, formerly called Kattaka Gumpha or Cuttack caves, are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical, and religious importance, located 3 km south of the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri mentioned as Kumari Parvata in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves built during the 2nd or 1st century BCE. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out as residential blocks for Jain monks during the reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri means "Sunrise Hill" and has 18 caves, while Khandagiri has 15 caves. The caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, called lena or leṇa in the inscriptions, were taken out mostly during the reign of Kharavela for the abode of Jain ascetics. The most important of this group is Ranigumpha in Udayagiri which is a double-storeyed monastery. Other important caves include Hathi Gumpha, Ananta Gumpha, Ganesha Gumpha, Jaya Vijaya Gumpha, Mancapuri Gumpha, Bagha/Byaghra/Vyaghra Gumpha and Sarpa Gumpha. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has listed that Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves be in the list of "Must See" Indian Heritage. The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are listed as an Adarsh Smarak Monument by ASI.

Cave data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).