Alexander E. Caddy —Asolca Inscriptions in India. [Nov. 
166 
Ramblia including the boat journey being 83 miles. A considerable 
time was taken up in the preparing of plaster. This gave me some 
leisure to examine the caves and to select my sites for photographing 
them. 
45. Khandagiri and Udaigiri are the two hills formed of the sand¬ 
stone outcrop in Orissa, some 19 miles south of Cuttack and 14 miles 
east of Kliurda. 
4(J. The perpendicular bluffs have been cut into for all the caves, 
Natural caverns, where the sandstone forms the arched roof of a cave, 
are frequent. The Ilatliigumplia is the largest of them. The upper story 
of the Rani Naur Palace cave is a similar arch, for the support of which 
the pillars placed there recently are quite unnecessary. The sandstone 
bluffs are in three distinct levels of elevation. 
47. Lowest level .— In the lowest level are the caves facing south, 
and seen enface from the bungalow — the Alaleapura-jayavijaya and 
Swargapura (in the second story). An effaced Pali inscription near the 
elephant frieze (the largest elephant sculpture in these hills) witnesses 
to its age, while the huge male elephants approaching the arch on either 
side (they are four-tusked and are tended by female elephants) show 
the importance of this cave. 
The lower story of the Rani Naur Palace cave is on the west of this 
bluff, and to the east, a row of small caves with a stair leads up to the 
second bluff. 
Second level .— In this to the west is the upper story of the Queen’s 
palace; on the east there is the Vailcuntha group. The roof of this 
group and of the Rani Naur form the upper terrace of this bluff. 
Third level .— North-east of the Queen’s palace cave, in the third 
bluff, we have the Ganesa cave, so called from a figure of Ganesa carved 
in its inner chamber, near which there is a Sanskrit inscription. The 
south-west face of the bluff has in its basement the Rating umpha, above 
which several caves lead up to the platform forming the flat top of 
Udaigiri hill. The south-east corner of the bluff is broken into a 
number of detached rocks which are severally excavated into the Snake, 
the Tiger, and other caves which mendicant Buddhists have occupied. 
48. Aira Raja occupied the caves of the Vailcuntha group. In¬ 
scriptions, fragmentary unfortunately, describe him as a disciple of 
Kadipa , a worshipper of the sun, a mighty Raja (of Kalinga) whose 
elephant is as a thundercloud. In illustration whereof there is the 
adoration of the Sun and Triratna by a series of academical figures, 
which may relate to Kadipa’s college of disciples,—heavenly musicians 
fill the air, while a grandly-proportioned elephant closes the procession. 
This neglected piece of sculpture is very nearly obliterated. The half 
