Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves

The caves located 7KM from Bhubaneswar takes us back in time and is probably the only recorded history of era that is still shrouded in mystery. Built somewhere around the 2nd century BC by King Kharavela of the Meghavahana dynasty, widely regarded as the most powerful king in the annals of history of Odisha, these ancient rock cut caves were first discovered by a young British Officer Andrew Sterling in the 19th century AD.

The caves built on the Kumari mountain range were built for the Jain monks and offered them a place to stay and meditate. Out of the one hundred and seventeen caves that were built originally only thirty-three survive till this day. Eighteen caves are located in the Udaygiri hill and fifteen in the Khandagiri hill.