Apajita seeks UNESCO tag to historic Khandagiri, Udayagiri hills

By Swagatika Bhutia

Bhubaneswar, May 4:  The Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha member from Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi, on Thursday (May 4) sought the inclusion of the historical Khandagiri and Udayagiri hills in the UNESCO world heritage list.

Sarangi wrote a letter to Union minister of tourism and culture G Kishan Reddy in this regard.

“This is to bring to your kind knowledge that the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri within the Odisha capital city of Bhubaneswar are Centrally Protected Monuments under Archeological Survey of India. These two hills are affiliated exclusively to the Jaina pantheon and fulfill the criteria required for their incorporation in the UNESCO World Heritage list,” the letter read.

Stating that the site is widely known for rock cut caves dedicated to Jainism, the lawmaker said  the site is famous for the famous Brahmi inscriptions of 17 lines in Prakrit language pertaining to the period of King Kharavela of Mahameghavahana Chedi dynasty dated 1st century BC.

This site also has prehistoric remains belonging to Mesolithic period as attested by the remains of microliths and prehistoric rock art in the form of rock engravings and paintings of anteler, human forms, foot mark and serpentine,” the letter further read.

The inclusion of Khandagiri and Udayagiri hills in UNESCO world heritage list will result in better preservation and development, she contended.

The architectural design of double storeyed rock-cut caves, the sculptural embellishments, decorative features, scheme of work dates back to 1st century BC and are unparalleled in the contemporary world. The facade of the cells in the caves are carved with sculptural friezes like women rescuing scene from wild elephant, deer, hunting scene, female dancing scene, couple offering flowers, ganas / yakashyas and yakashis, royal, procession, and the unique guard / door keeper of Greeco-Roman style etc.

The entrance arches have engravings of flowers, honey-suckle, lotus and creepers of various designs.

“Various symbols are found arrayed in the caves, which are associated with Jaina symbols like srivatsa, nandipada, snake and lotus. Under the circumstances, the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri located in the Capital City of Bhubaneswar in Odisha qualify to be included in the World Heritage sites list. This request may please be positively considered,” the letter further added.