Khandgiri
Khandgiri, 1908
Hill in the Khurda subdivision of Purl District, Ben- gal, situated in 20 degree 16' N. and 85degree 47' E., about 4 miles west of Bhubaneswar. It consists of two separate peaks, the northern one of which is called Udayagiri and the southern Khandgiri, the last name being also applied to the entire group. The caves on this hill were occupied by monks of the Jain sect, and not, as is usually stated, by Buddhists. The earliest of them go back to the time of king Khara- vcla, whose large but mutilated inscription over the Hathi Gumpha cave is dated in the year 165 of the Maurya era, or 155 B.C. ; and there are also short inscriptions of his queen and immediate successors. Various mediaeval Jain carvings and inscriptions show that the Jains continued to occupy the caves till about the twelfth or thirteenth cen- tury ; and there still exist later Jain temples, one of which, on the top of the Khandgiri peak, is annually visited by Jain merchants from Cut- tack. Of the oldest caves the most interesting are the following : On the Udayagiri peak, (1) the Rani Gumpha, comprising two storeys with open verandas. The frieze of the upper veranda contains a series of relief carvings, evidently representing one connected story, in which occurred a fight with wild elephants, the rape of a female, and a hunt after a winged antelope ; the legend to which it refers has not, however, been traced. (2) The Ganesh Gumpha, with a carved frieze represent- ing the same story as in the Ran! Gumpha ; the steps of the cave are flanked by the figures of two elephants. (3) The Hathi Gumpha, with the famous inscription of king Kharavela, a purely historical record of the principal events of his life. Unfortunately it has been badly muti- lated, but it has recently been protected by a shade to preserve it from further destruction. (4) The Bagh Gumpha, shaped like the head of a tiger; and (5) the Svarga Gumpha, (6) the Maujapuri, and (7) the Patal Gumpha, three caves raised one above the other and consequently now explained as a representation of heaven, earth, and hell. On the Khandgiri peak, the most notable of the old caves are the Ananta Gumpha, with carved panels over its gates, representing Lakshml, the sun-god, an elephant, and the worship of a sacred tree ; the Tentuli Gumpha, so called from a tamarind-tree close to it ; and the Tantua Gumpha I and Tantua Gumpha II, one above the other. The name tantua means a diving-bird and has been given to these caves on account of the figures of birds, with their heads bent down as if in the act of diving, which have been carved over the arches of the doors. The best specimens of mediaeval caves are : the Navamuni cave, with an inscription dated in the eighteenth year of king Uddyota Kesari, who preceded the Ganga kings and belonged to the family of the so- called Somavansi, or kings of the lunar race, who ruled over Orissa in the tenth and eleventh centuries ; and the Satghara cave, which has numerous mediaeval Jain figures carved over its walls.
[Report of the Archaeological Survey of India for 1902-3 (Calcutta, 1904).]
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
