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Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves

1st century BCE · 1st century BCE

The Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are rock-cut chambers in two neighbouring hills near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, carved mostly in the 1st century BCE as dwellings for Jain monks. Many were excavated under King Kharavela of Kalinga and his queen, and the Hathigumpha ('elephant cave') on Udayagiri bears his long inscription. Their carved friezes are among the earliest narrative sculpture in eastern India.

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves
Image: Government of Odisha · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Mahameghavahana dynasty

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/udayagiri-and-khandagiri-caves
MLA
“Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/udayagiri-and-khandagiri-caves. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/udayagiri-and-khandagiri-caves.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/udayagiri-and-khandagiri-caves (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻