Overview
Two hills outside Bhubaneswar holding eighteen and fifteen excavated caves, cut as residences for Jain ascetics in the second to first century BCE. The most important Jain rock-cut monastic site in eastern India. Sect: Digambara.
History
Archaeologically dated to the second to first century BCE under Kharavela, whose reign is conventionally placed in the first century BCE. Later caves carry tirthankara images added subsequently.
Spiritual Significance
The Hathigumpha inscription of the Kalinga king Kharavela is here, and it is one of the most important epigraphic documents in Indian history, recording his reign and his patronage of Jainism in his own words. Little else survives anywhere that documents royal Jain patronage this early and this directly. The caves themselves are austere: low cells cut for monks, not temples.
Pilgrimage Information
Getting there and getting in. Three kilometres from Bhubaneswar, visited both as a heritage site and, at the image caves, as a place of worship. Jain temples of this rank commonly prohibit leather articles, restrict photography, and expect bathing before worship. Where this page does not state a restriction, it is because no source documented one for this particular site, not because none applies. Confirm on arrival.
Preservation
Protection status. Listed by the Archaeological Survey of India among its Must See heritage sites.
Sources
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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