Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, India. The caves are situated on two adjacent hills, Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in the Hathigumpha inscription. They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves built during 2nd 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 dug out mostly during the reign of Kharavela for the abode of Jaina 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, Bagh gumpha and Sarpa gumpha.

Find All Bhubaneshwar Hotels

Change your mind
Book hotels with free cancellation
Treat yourself
Sign in to save 10% or more on thousands of hotels
Sign in
Be picky
Search almost a million properties worldwide

Find All Bhubaneshwar Hotels

We have found 359 Bhubaneshwar Hotels

4

Next

0a6319a3-b11e-4a15-9192-e12e78a83c949be969bd-84e7-4b36-ad30-9b8c918731e5