History under attack at khandagiri Graffiti on the walls of a cave on Khandagiri hillock and (bottom) an old temple in a dilapidated condition. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 31: Khandagiri hillock, one of the major tourist attractions of the state, needs urgent attention.

Vandals have scribbled graffiti on the walls of many caves here. Dhyana Gumpha, one of the caves that tourists visit regularly, has been completely defaced by graffiti.

Even miniature relief sculptures and inscriptions have not been spared.

The hillock attracts thousands of tourists regularly. Inscriptions on the rock-cut and natural caves of the hill are major attractions.

Lack of proper care and attention is gradually damaging the caves, the inscriptions and sculptures. The hills are layered with dense vegetation. At some places, the roots of trees are seen entering the caves.

Five Tirthankara images — two of Rishabhanatha and three of Parsvanatha — are engraved on the upper portion inside cave 11, which is also known as the Lalatendu Kesari Gumpha.

Though the caves date back to 1st century BC, archaeologists believe the sculptures were carved during the Somavamsi period around the 11th century. Only the back portion of cave 10 is standing today. This has been beautifully decorated with three relief sculptures — two of Rishabhanatha and one of Amra.

All of these are showing strong signs of deterioration because of weathering that has led to erosion. The paint, chalk, coal and brick scribbling visible on the high roof and the walls of the cave speak of the lack of maintenance of the Archaeological Survey of India-protected Khandagiri hills.

A huge temple is also seen in ruins here and stands on the peak of the Khandagiri hillock. Completely weakened and dilapidated, this temple may collapse anytime.

“It is surprising that no care has been taken to maintain such a precious heritage site,” said Anjali Patel, a tourist from Gujarat.

Officials of the Archaeological Survey of India said that the rock cut caves and their sculptures are regularly cleaned and taken care of but they have manpower shortage to post guards. “Vandals threaten any guards posted here. But we will look into the matter,” said a senior official.