On my day tour of Bhubaneswar, our first destination was the Udaigiri and Khandagiri caves. These twin hills located just 6 km NW of Bhubaneswar were naturally honeycombed, providing great places to create retreats for Jain monks already in the 1st century BC. Although there are a series of caves on both sides of the road, the most impressive one is the Rani Gumpa or “Queen’s Cave.” The top corridor was particularly beautiful, with relief carvings of figures and animals adorning the upper portion of the walls and around the arched doors. Whereas carvings in some places looked rather static and figures separate, the frieze here was highly animated and fluid, with the interactive figures nearly melding into each other; musicians, dancers, royalty, elephants, monkeys, and more. Nearby is the Chhota Hathi Gumpha “Small Elephant Cave” with its six sculpted elephants guarding the front of the cave. Perhaps the most creative cave is the Bagh Gumpha, shaped like a tiger’s head, its mouth wide open and beckoning (or daring) those to enter.
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