The twin hills of Kumargiri-Kumarigiri known as Khandagiri and Udaigiri served as the site of an ancient Jain monastery which was carved in verities of rock-cut caves like chambers built mainly for Jain monks around 1st -2nd century B.C. Some of the caves have beautiful carvingsof snakes and the lotus representing some of the auspicious Jain symbols that are extensively used here. King Kharavela has carved out the chronicles of his reign. Out of the rock-cut caves, Rani Gumpha (Queen’s cave) is the largest and double storied, ornately embellished with beautiful carvings. At present we find eighteen caves in Udaigiri and fifteen in Khandagiri. Many of these belong to the past Kharavela era.

Dhauligiri Hills is a place marked with the serenity of Daya River and lies at a distance of 8 Km from Bhubaneswar. The famous rock edicts of Ashoka are worth witnessing, it stands as a testimony of the famous Kalinga War fought here on the banks of River Daya in 261 BC that changed Emperor Ashoka to an apostle of peace. The earliest rock-cut figure of an elephant can be seen on the top of the edict. Moreover, it is in Dhauli Hills that adopted the path of dharma which lets only peace and love enter your lives. The concept of dharma- vijay became his ultimate goal as he took Buddhist teachings deep into his heart. The end of the bloody battles was only to serve and favor mankind. With this, the religious and spiritual beliefs of Buddhism spread to different parts of the world. Dhauli Hills in Bhubaneswar takes you to the site of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa. The dome structure of the Shanti Stupa possesses five umbrellas and they symbolize the five essential parts of Buddhism.