Udaygiri Caves
Udaygiri Caves
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4.0
60 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
32
Average
13
Poor
2
Terrible
0
schand
Mohali District, India105 contributions
July 2022
The first ugly surprise a visitor gets is that the caves are locked. One is greeted by the foul smell of bat urine if one tries to peer through the doors. Cave no. 5 and a few others around it have some good carvings in the open, but strangely, the management forces you to enter near cave 19, which offers nothing much of interest. It beats me why they can't have the entry near cave 5 (Varaha).
Written 17 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shaila Panday
11 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
Unbelievably beautiful, a real treasure and definately a must visit site. Its such a pity that so much of our culture and heritage is still under the wraps. When other countries project their ordinary objects and attract tourists, we in India fail miserably. We could become the world's largest tourist destination.
Written 31 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anamika Mishra
New Delhi, India268 contributions
Nov 2018 • Solo
Visiting caves and other such monuments is always an amazing experience. Though I felt it was more crowded today as it was Sunday, so I’d suggest you to visit on a weekday for a li’l less crowd. The place is neat & full of knowledge. I found the cave carving very interesting as they are still preserved and clearly visible!
A must visit place in the city
A must visit place in the city
Written 18 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dilip S
Vadodara, India1,109 contributions
Nov 2013 • Couples
Next day after visiting Sanchi , we found ourselves again on the same path . But today our destinations were Udaygiri and Vidisha .
Udaygiri mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha inscription is at a distance of 4 km from Vidisha and 13 km from Sanchi. These are a group of rock-cut caves sanctuaries carved into a sandstone hill . On the top of the caves hill remains of the ' Mauryan ' , ' Shung ‘ & ' Nag ' dynasties and ' Buddhist’s Stupas ' have been found .
An inscription in one of these, states that it was carved during the reign of Changragupta II (382 -401AD) . The caves represent all the distinctive features of Classical Gupta art – its simplicity of expression, the beautifully moulded capitals, the treatment of the intercolumniation, the design of the entranceway and the system of continuing the architrave as a string course round the structure, religious virtuosity etc.
There are about twenty rock cut caves , out of which cave 1 and cave 10 are related to ' Jainism ' and the rest eighteen to ' Hinduism ' , carved into an outcrop of sandstone and most are just niches , however some form columned temples . These caves have been numbered according to the sequence in which they were excavated . In Caves four, six and nineteen, one can observe that the shrines become larger and more ornate and cells appear more spacious.
Caves no 6,7 and 20 bear Sanskrit inscriptions in Gupta characters one of which is dated in gupta samvat 82 (A.D. 401-02) and another in Gupta samvat 106 (A.D. 425-26). Two of these mention the name of the famous gupta emperor Chandragupta II. That on cave no 7 pronounces that the emperor visited this spot during his conquest and that the cave has made by Virasena, the minister for war and peace who accompanied his master .
Cave 4 has a unique Shiva linga. The hair is tied up into a topknot with long locks cascading down each side. The arrangement of the hair depicts the story of Gangavataran .
Cave 5 or Varahgumpha shelters The Lord Vishnu in his Varahavtar rescuing Bhudevi from the clutches of Demon Hiranyaksha and emerging out of the ocean carrying Bhudevi aloft . Though the head of Bhudevi is missing now a day , she is holding his one tusk by her right hand and is resting on his prominent left shoulder . She rests her feet on a lotus bud . His left hand rests on a bent left knee . To impress the viewers that the Varah has emerged out of an ocean , his left foot is shown resting on the coil of a Nagdev praying for mercy . He has stretched his right leg far backwards and hold his waist by his right hand to give the sculpture a balance . Rows of Sages, divinities and two male musicians can be seen at the back and on the sides of the panels . Images of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with figures of attendants are also shown .
To the left of the entrance to cave 6 , is the oldest datable seating Ganesh . There are two divine figures on the left and four such ones on the right sides of the entrance , which are of special mention .Apart from their costumes , their stance attracts the gaze of the observer . Twelve armed Durga deserves an appreciation of her fighting courage , holding a rock above her topmost two hands , a spear , a sword , a disc , etc in her other arms , she is nothing but War Goddess , we Hindus always pray to protect us .
There is a niche in cave 12 , where there stands Narasimha .
The Lord Vishnu reclines on Anant Nag in cave 13 . Beautifully carved four armed Vishnu wearing Kirit Kundale rests his head on his upper right hand on five hooded Anant . His body is supported by seven coils of Anant . the last big coil is the pillow soothing the feet of the Lord . Chandragupta II is shown sitting below The Lord’s feet .
After paying our tributes to the most adorable images of The Lord we departed for Vidisha .
Udaygiri mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha inscription is at a distance of 4 km from Vidisha and 13 km from Sanchi. These are a group of rock-cut caves sanctuaries carved into a sandstone hill . On the top of the caves hill remains of the ' Mauryan ' , ' Shung ‘ & ' Nag ' dynasties and ' Buddhist’s Stupas ' have been found .
An inscription in one of these, states that it was carved during the reign of Changragupta II (382 -401AD) . The caves represent all the distinctive features of Classical Gupta art – its simplicity of expression, the beautifully moulded capitals, the treatment of the intercolumniation, the design of the entranceway and the system of continuing the architrave as a string course round the structure, religious virtuosity etc.
There are about twenty rock cut caves , out of which cave 1 and cave 10 are related to ' Jainism ' and the rest eighteen to ' Hinduism ' , carved into an outcrop of sandstone and most are just niches , however some form columned temples . These caves have been numbered according to the sequence in which they were excavated . In Caves four, six and nineteen, one can observe that the shrines become larger and more ornate and cells appear more spacious.
Caves no 6,7 and 20 bear Sanskrit inscriptions in Gupta characters one of which is dated in gupta samvat 82 (A.D. 401-02) and another in Gupta samvat 106 (A.D. 425-26). Two of these mention the name of the famous gupta emperor Chandragupta II. That on cave no 7 pronounces that the emperor visited this spot during his conquest and that the cave has made by Virasena, the minister for war and peace who accompanied his master .
Cave 4 has a unique Shiva linga. The hair is tied up into a topknot with long locks cascading down each side. The arrangement of the hair depicts the story of Gangavataran .
Cave 5 or Varahgumpha shelters The Lord Vishnu in his Varahavtar rescuing Bhudevi from the clutches of Demon Hiranyaksha and emerging out of the ocean carrying Bhudevi aloft . Though the head of Bhudevi is missing now a day , she is holding his one tusk by her right hand and is resting on his prominent left shoulder . She rests her feet on a lotus bud . His left hand rests on a bent left knee . To impress the viewers that the Varah has emerged out of an ocean , his left foot is shown resting on the coil of a Nagdev praying for mercy . He has stretched his right leg far backwards and hold his waist by his right hand to give the sculpture a balance . Rows of Sages, divinities and two male musicians can be seen at the back and on the sides of the panels . Images of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna with figures of attendants are also shown .
To the left of the entrance to cave 6 , is the oldest datable seating Ganesh . There are two divine figures on the left and four such ones on the right sides of the entrance , which are of special mention .Apart from their costumes , their stance attracts the gaze of the observer . Twelve armed Durga deserves an appreciation of her fighting courage , holding a rock above her topmost two hands , a spear , a sword , a disc , etc in her other arms , she is nothing but War Goddess , we Hindus always pray to protect us .
There is a niche in cave 12 , where there stands Narasimha .
The Lord Vishnu reclines on Anant Nag in cave 13 . Beautifully carved four armed Vishnu wearing Kirit Kundale rests his head on his upper right hand on five hooded Anant . His body is supported by seven coils of Anant . the last big coil is the pillow soothing the feet of the Lord . Chandragupta II is shown sitting below The Lord’s feet .
After paying our tributes to the most adorable images of The Lord we departed for Vidisha .
Written 14 December 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JIGNESH555
Chennai (Madras), India15 contributions
Feb 2015 • Business
Guys! Caves in this area is almost vanished. If someone wants to walk more then for them this is the right place. You need to walk from very tricky route. one thing i can say about this location is the view available from the top of this cave.
Written 14 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shomu V
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India131 contributions
It 1600 years old caves having lord Vishnu n many more God n Goddess idols since that time. Even the black natural beautiful rocks are worth watching. There are 20 caves all together. If you are visiting Sanchi must also visit Udaygiri not only for historical importance but also for its
magnificent beauty.
magnificent beauty.
Written 11 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vavasthi
Bengaluru, India514 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
This place is very near to Sanchi, just around 8 kilometers. The road is in good condition and the place contains some of very old rock carvings, some of them dating back to as early as fourth century.
Most of these cave carvings and inscriptions can be dated to the time of Chandragupta II, (382-401 AD).
The place is very isolated and does not see much traffic so people with interest can have a look without being disturbed. Most of the caves are locked but one can find out the caretaker who hang around there and ask him to give a tour.
Most of these cave carvings and inscriptions can be dated to the time of Chandragupta II, (382-401 AD).
The place is very isolated and does not see much traffic so people with interest can have a look without being disturbed. Most of the caves are locked but one can find out the caretaker who hang around there and ask him to give a tour.
Written 19 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alka Varma
New Delhi, India1,587 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The Udaygiri Caves about 10 kms away from Sanchi are worth visiting once in that region. Definitely they need better care and maintenance. There were hardly any visitors in the afternoon . Saw only two persons manning this 5 th century treasure caves - one guard and the other in the ticket office. These sculptures made during the Gupta period are mostly inside the caves .20 caves .The doors to these caves were mostly locked. So we could peep in through the netted doors. The most beautiful one I liked was a huge Shivaling with a face of Shiva on it. It was the first time I saw such a Shivaling.
Another one which is unique and outside the caves was a huge sculpture of Varaha- a Lord Vishnu avatar who takes the form of boer to save Bhudevi - Mother Earth from demon. It’s a very powerful depiction in stone.
There are no shops around in this sleepy village area. So please carry your water and wear very comfortable shoes as there are hardly any paths to walk on. Visitors find their own path to walk on rocks and stones. We looked for guides but none in and around. So be happy with the information boards.
Another one which is unique and outside the caves was a huge sculpture of Varaha- a Lord Vishnu avatar who takes the form of boer to save Bhudevi - Mother Earth from demon. It’s a very powerful depiction in stone.
There are no shops around in this sleepy village area. So please carry your water and wear very comfortable shoes as there are hardly any paths to walk on. Visitors find their own path to walk on rocks and stones. We looked for guides but none in and around. So be happy with the information boards.
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Manish G
Gurugram (Gurgaon), India161 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
Rock cut caves with around 10-15 caves hosting various images of Hindu Gods. The most imposing one is Vraha rescuing Bhoodevi from being submerged in the ocean. The other one is the idol of Vishnu laying on the serpent.
Visit the place only if you are a huge lover of Hindu Mythology. The caretaker though keeps most of the caves locked. Just get after him to open the caves.
MP tourism has also opened a resort - Jungle Resort Udaygiri. You can stay at Udaygiri if you want, however the place is best visited in a day trip as it is a short detour from Sanchi.
Visit the place only if you are a huge lover of Hindu Mythology. The caretaker though keeps most of the caves locked. Just get after him to open the caves.
MP tourism has also opened a resort - Jungle Resort Udaygiri. You can stay at Udaygiri if you want, however the place is best visited in a day trip as it is a short detour from Sanchi.
Written 14 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
purath
Nagpur, India123 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
This place is between vidisha and sanchi. So whenever near bhopal and interested in history do visit the caves,which are 4 and 5 century containing hindu,Buddhist and Jain caves but most of them are locked
Written 27 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
we r three of us travelling.is it a safe place, one of the comment suggests that a bunch of locals may make u feel uncomfortable.
Written 12 November 2017
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