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HISTORY OF JAINISM IN ORISSA
on its walls.31 Jain archaeological remains have been located at Anandpur (Dujhar), Chohar (Cuttuck), Ghumusar(Ganjam), Nawarangpur (Koraput) and Puri. These have been considered to have belonged from ancient to medieval periods.
KHANDAGIRI AND UDAIGIRI:
The Khandagiri and Udaigiri hills are honeycombed with small and big caves(gufa or gumphas), among which 44 existed at Udaigiri, 19 at Khandagiri and 3 at Nilgiri32, but nowadays, there are altogether 33 caves remaining, in which 18 are at Udaigiri and 15 at Khandagiri. Rest of the caves have collapsed either due to the softness of the rocks or due to negligence of proper care and safety.
Among the Udaigiri caves, names of Ranigumpha, Chota Hathigumpha, Bajathar gumpha, Alkapurigumpha, Hathigumpha or Ganeshgumpha, Jai Vijaya gumpha, Patalapuri gumpha and Manchapurigumpha may be mentioned as some of the important caves. Likewise, there are a few nicely excavated caves at Khandagiri. All the caves of Khandagiri have been regarded as the oldest specimen of Jain sculptures and among them, the Ranigumpha has been credited to be best among the caves of Odisa.
As we know that king Kharavela 33 was a staunch supporter of Jainism and he always thought for the welfare of the Jain recluses and munis, he got excavated a large number of caves at these hills for providing shelter to them. The tradition of the excavations of these caves, which started during the period of Maha Meghavahana dynasty, continued for three to four hundred years. The inscriptional and sculptural evidences show that these caves had been used by the Jain monks from 2nd century to AD 11th century.34
Out of the whole Udaigiri- Khandagiri excavations, some caves consist of single cells only, while some others are of several cells having a pillared portico in front. In these caves, there lies the absence of caityas. About the absence of the caityas, opinion have been given that as the Jain religion did not need large assembly halls like the Buddhists, so they did not cared for caitya halls near their hilly abode.35
We have enormous Jain statues inside the caves, almost all of these are the Digambara Jain Tirthankaras. The Barabhuji cave contains statues of twenty-four Tirthankaras, in which twenty-three are in yogasana posture, while the Digambara Parsva is in khadagasana mudra. The famous Trisula cave also contains images of twenty-four Tirthankaras. In the lower portion of the Manchuri cave, the sculpture containing the installation of Kalinga Jina has been depicted. There is a Jain temple in the Khandagiri hills, which contains an old Jain figure. The temple is not very old and is believed to have been built in some centuries earlier. To prove the Naga worship as well as association of Nagas with Jain Tirthankaras, we find that it was also prevalent in Orissa , as we find in the caves of Khandagiri, the images of Parsvanantha canopied by seven hooded snake in several places.36
HATHIGUMPHA INSCRIPTION:
King Kharavela and his wife is said to have erected the Hathigumpha cave in the Udaigiri hills and on the inner stone roof of the cave has the famous inscription called .
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