Ancient site · Monument
Hathigumpha inscription, Udayagiri
A seventeen-line Prakrit inscription carved in Brahmi above the 'Elephant Cave' in the Udayagiri hills near Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It was cut for Kharavela, a Jain king of Kalinga, and lists his deeds year by year: repairing gates and a canal, campaigns into the north and the south, and gifts to Jain monks, for whom the nearby caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri were carved.
It is the main source on Kalinga after Ashoka's conquest. Its letter shapes place it around the 1st century BCE.
- Dates
- c. 1st century BCE (from the style of its letters)
- Still standing
- Yes
- Location
- 20.26° N, 85.79° E
How we know
A seventeen-line royal inscription in Prakrit; it is undated, so it is placed by the shape of its Brahmi letters.
Nearby sites
- Nalanda c. 427 CE–c. 1400 CE
- Pataliputra (Kumhrar) c. 600 BCE–600 CE
- Sarnath c. 250 BCE–1194 CE
- Bharhut railings c. 125–100 BCE (some argue 1st century CE); later abandoned
- Amaravati Stupa 3rd century BCE–c. 250 CE; known as a centre until the 14th century
- Lauriya Nandangarh pillar c. 243–236 BCE (dating of Ashoka's reign varies)