The Chedis of Kalinga

Remember the Kalinga war from the last chapter? After the Mauryas declined, Kalinga became a strong power itself, under the Chedi dynasty. The land Aśhoka had wrecked rose again.

Their best-known king, Khāravela, was a devoted follower of Jain teachings. People sometimes called him bhikṣhu-rāja, the 'monk-king'. But he respected all schools of thought.

Near Bhubaneswar are the famous Udayagiri–Khandagiri caves, probably made for Jain monks. They have detailed carved panels and statues, and roomy chambers cut into the rock: proof of very skilled craftsmen.

They're fine examples of rock-cut architecture. Nothing is built up; everything is cut away from solid rock. One wrong blow of the chisel can't be undone!

One cave has the Hāthīgumphā inscription, in Brahmi. It records Khāravela's deeds year by year: his military victories and his good works for his people. A year-by-year record is a gift to historians: it tells us not only what happened, but in what order.

Khāravela proudly says he formed a 'council of ascetics and sages' from a hundred regions, and calls himself a 'respecter of every sect and repairer of every temple'.

A Jain king boasting of repairing every temple, not just his own! Once again a ruler is proud to protect all schools of thought. The book calls this a basic part of the 'Indian ethos'.