Recently, I visited an extremely ancient and fascinating site called Udaygiri-Khandgiri, located about 8Km from Bhubaneswar in Orissa. Here the term ancient is not an exaggeration at all- the structure I traveled to was more than 2000 years old. And why was it fascinating? Read on to find out!
Udaygiri and Khandgiri are twin hills that possess such wonderful remnants of the bygone era that the archaeologists must have been ecstatic on discovering them. The interesting aspect of these hills is that there are many caves – more than 30, I think- that are said to have been created in the 2nd century BC by a powerful king named Kharvela. These caves were supposed to serve as the perfect seclusion sites for the austere Jain monks who had given up all worldly pleasures (the very few that there were then) to live a life of penance.
After getting a few bumps on my head while entering the smallish caves, and suffering from my first bouts of claustrophobia, I realized that the monks must have been very brave in deed to live in these incredibly simple caves. I cannot imagine how the Jain monks must have taken all the trouble to climb up on all those rocks in order to reach the tiny chambers that had no other furnishing barring a few carvings here and there.
My herculean efforts to cover every hidden cave of the hill were rewarded with severe leg cramps and sightings of lovely statues and inscriptions. After climbing the dangerously placed rocks of the hill in the stifling heat, I could hardly keep my balance and that gave me an even better idea of what the monks must have endured each day in order to maintain their penance.
At the most hidden angles, I spotted caves that could test one's physical limits- so difficult they were to reach and so compact in size and structure. The whole structure was made of coarse grained sandstone and the inside of the caves were quite cool. There were statues and exotic carvings that conveyed stories and gave a fantastic glimpse into the general lives of the past residents.
The place itself seemed very serene, just like those monks must have been. While driving away, as I gave a last look to the caves, I realized that they looked so peaceful and wise, totally without the chaos and ostentation of our modern lives.
All the time I was in the caves, I kept thinking of what a tough life the monks chose for themselves, but it was while leaving that I realized that the lives they chose must have been totally without fears, insecurities, sleeplessness, greed and the other worldly troubles that our “easy” lives seem to be plagued with.
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