RANI ka GUMPHA, Khandgiri - Udayagiri

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 14/05/2016

Man-made rock houses excavated from (the hill) Udayagiri. Compare the entry –>Khandgiri - Udayagiri Caves. KITTOE (1838b, plate XLI = 41) gives a nice line drawing of "A corner of the Rani Hanspur Caves". LÜDERS (1904 edited 1973, 1905) interpreted the site as a »Vergnügungshöhle« (pleasure resort) for sexual entertainment. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1838: KITTOE (1838b, plate XLI = 41) gives a nice line drawing of »A corner of the Rani Hanspur Caves« (Queen [of the] Swan Place / Town). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1990: »At the base of the hill, around to the right [of an unidentified person's instable meat lump], is the two-storeyed Rani ka Naur or Queen's Palace Cave (cave 1). Both levels have eight entrances and the cave is extensively carved« (LONELY PLANET, India 1990: 595-596; 1993: 502; 1997: 540; LONELY PLANET, South India 2001: 244). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001: »At the base of the hill, and to the right [of one or the other self-centered person's instable body], is the two-storey Rani ka Naur (Queens Palace Cave; cave 1). Both levels have eight entrances and the cave is extensively carved« (LONELY PLANET, India 2001: 490). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2003: »At the base of the hill and to the right [unidentified direction], is the two-storey Rani ka Naur (Queens Palace Cave; Cave 1) showing battle scenes« (LONELY PLANET, India 2003: 496). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005: Almost directly below –>Ganesh Gumpha (Cave 10) lies »… the two-storey Rani ka Naur (Queens Palace Cave; Cave 1). This is the largest and most interesting of the caves and is carved with Jain symbols and battle scenes« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 565; 2009: 649).