Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves

About Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, Bhubaneswar

Ancient rock-cut chambers carved for Jain monks

• These twin hills face each other across a road six kilometers west of central Bhubaneswar, containing thirty-three rock-cut shelters.
• King Kharavela of the Mahameghavahana dynasty commissioned most of them during the first and second centuries BCE as dwelling cells for Jain ascetics.
• On Udayagiri, the double-storeyed Ranigumpha features detailed narrative relief panels depicting royal processions, while Hathigumpha holds the seventeen-line Brahmi inscription recording Kharavela's military campaigns and public works.
• Across the road, Khandagiri features Navamuni and Barabhuji caves, lined with relief carvings of Jain Tirthankaras added during later centuries.
• Visiting between November and February avoids the harsh summer heat radiating off bare rock surfaces.
• The Archaeological Survey of India manages the site, opening gates from sunrise to sunset.
• Indian citizens pay twenty-five rupees, while foreign nationals pay three hundred rupees.