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the said inscription states that in his 13th regnal year Kharavela excavated dwelling cells for the Arhats (Jaina saints) on the Kumari Parvata (Udayagiri). Kharavela was not the sole donor of the caves. Line 15 of the Mancapuri cave inscription of the Chief Queen of Kharavela states that to please the Arhats of Kalinga, the Chief Queen Lalaka, daughter of the king Hathisiha, 6 excavated the cave. The short inscription? of the Mancapuri cave further says that some chambers of the cave were excavated by Vakradeva,& the successor of Kharavela ; and prince Vadukha. Besides the royal donors, some caves have also been donated by the town-judge Bhuti and other officials and personal attendants of the royal house. Apart from the caves, there is a square ground containing a few rows of small pillars of poor-workmanship found on the summit of the Khandagiri. The presence of pillars has been interpreted by scholars, which seems quite probable, as the memorials of some Jaina saints who died while residing in that part of the ancient Kalinga country. 10
The purpose of the excavation of caves was evidently for providing shelter to the Jaina recluses. Simultaneously it is also clear that there must have been some rock-cut activities in these hills for which Kharavela decided to engrave his inscription and donate caves. Thus, though it is difficult to know about the identity of the previous donors mainly due to the non-availability of inscriptional evidences, it can safely be said that the rock-cut activities in these hills started before the time of Kharavela. Stylistical analysis again prove that some of these caves were excavated quite later the period of Kharavela.
Out of the whole excavations, some caves consist of single cells only, such as Baghagumpha, Sarpagumpha, Vekagumpha, Chota Hatigumpha etc., while some others are of several cells having a pillared portico in front. In the examples without regular verandas, the top of the cell projects forward to form a cover. In some cases, notably the Baghagumpha, the cover to the cell carved into the figure
5 arahatam pasadaya kalingam samananam lenam karitam rajino lalakasa. * Epigraphia Indica (henceforward EI), vol. XIII, p. 159. 'Hastisimha'--Banerjee,
R.D., History of Orissa, vol. I, p. 83. Other scholars, however believe that the Queen is said to be the daughter of King Lalaka, see Archaeological Survey of India
(Annual Report), 1902-03, p. 40. ? airasa maharajasa kalingadhipatino mahameghavahanasa vakadepa-sirino lena. 8 Cf. Ibid., p. 41; Majumdar, R.C. (ed), Op. cit., p. 212. Other scholars call him
Kudepasiri who styled himself as Aira, Maharaja, Mahameghavahana, El, vol.
XIII, p. 160; and 'The Overlord of Kalinga', Banerjee, R.D., Op. cit., p. 83. • El., vol. XIII, p. 160. 10 Journal of Indian Society of Oriental Art, vol. XV, p. 45.
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