I visited the Varaha Statue of Udayagiri Caves a year back, but it feels as if I saw it yesterday !! 

India is full of places that take our breath away, and this was no exception !! The place was pretty okay, but the treasure that these caves were guarding against the weather and men makes you go awe. 

The Udayagiri caves of Madhya Pradesh are about 10km away from Sanchi Stupa. So, if you are visiting Sanchi Stupa, then do drive into this sleepy village. The google maps gingerly took us through some narrow streets mostly filled with potholes and farms on either side. When it arrived at the destination, it appeared to be a big pile of black rocks and a small hill fencing around. 

Google maps call it Udaigiri, so search it that way when you want to reach here.

Udayagiri Caves, MP

Udayagiri caves contain 20 caves, or that is what the board at the entrance read. 

Of these 20 caves, I could see only about 5 or 6 in a good state. And the most important one was that of the Varaha statue. These caves are believed to be from the Gupta period. The inscriptions found in and around the caves read out so, and there are figurines in the caves too, which are from the Gupta period. 

It is such a stark difference with Sanchi Stupa. One so well maintained, everything is intact, a lot of people crowding around the place, and the other is pretty much in ruins, nobody to take care of, hardly anyone there to explore these caves. Both of them come from around the same period. I walked up gingerly to the gates. A cow that looked lost from her herd walked out of the gates. To my left was the Varaha statue, and it was a different gate. It immediately grabbed my attention, and I ran towards that cave.

Also Read – Why Sanchi Stupa is one of the best UNESCO World Heritage Site to Visit – Click Here

Story of Lord Varaha

The Varaha statue is not really in a cave. It is a bit covered on the top, but it is not like walking into a cave. The whole picture or the scene of Varaha is etched on the wall, and it takes your breath away. 

Lord Varaha is one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. The story goes that the demon Hiranyakasipu is tormenting mother Earth, and the Earth has been pushed down to the paadaala Loka (does underground make any logical translation? I don’t know ! ). 

Now the demon had obtained a boon from Lord Brahma that he cannot be killed by men or animals or birds and lists various things that he cannot be destroyed by. And in that pride, he started to torment all the living things on Earth and the Earth Herself. Not able to see the pain, Vishnu takes the avatar of Varaha, a boar. The boar then takes an enormous size to rescue Earth, fights with Hiranyakasipu, and pulls Earth from the deep waters. 

So you can see Her hanging on to His tusk as She is pulled out of Her misery. And she marries Her rescuer. 

In Hindu mythology, she is addressed as Bhudevi. 

You can see the representation of the Varaha avatar in many temples and monuments. Either he is seen sitting with Bhudevi on His lap, or sometimes He is seen standing, and She will be on His shoulders. But I have never seen quite as elaborate one as that I have seen in Udayagiri caves.

The tall standing figure is Lord Varaha. You can see a lady figure hanging onto His tusk, and that is Mother Earth. Then near his feet to the left is half of Narada that can be seen. To the right is Adiseshan, the serpent God that guards lord Vishnu. Next to the serpent figure is believed to be the king from the Gupta period and his minister. To the rightmost, you can see a tiny figure with folded hands, and that is the ocean, cause the whole commotion happens in the ocean. At the top, you can see various sages and angels feeling happy about the ending. 

There are other figurines to the right side of the cave, too, which wouldn’t get into the frame. I sat there watching the beauty of this scene. So very lifelike and what a beautiful piece of work. He is God, and it is a statue and all that, but look at those muscles carved out!! 

It looks like he is standing right there. So, I went around taking pictures of Him from various angles.

While I was thus lost in the handsomeness, the caretaker of the caves walked in. He had the key to some more caves and was ready to take us around. Walking further to the left of Varaha were three or four caves, all denoting Shaivism. 

This is probably the first place that I have seen a face on Lingam. The caretaker was not aware of the significance. I Am not sure if it is the Ardhanareeswaran form (half Shiva and half Shakthi) or it is just the face of Shiva on Lingam. Whatever it is, the statue was beautifully smiling at me, and I smiled back. I wonder who the sculptor is, for his work is just awesome. 

There is also a cave for Lord Skanda, popularly known as Lord Murugan in South India and Lord Karthik in the North. But the hands were gone, and no other symbols were there to say so.

Other Caves in Udayagiri Hill

We walked further up the Varaha cave. There were steps at some points, and there weren’t at some places. And some of the caves have been excavated so that you can manage to stand on the ledge, watch and move. The next biggest cave was that of Lord Vishnu sleeping on Adiseshan. This posture of him is called Anantasayanam, meaning blissfully sleeping/resting. This one was huge too. Maybe about 5 to 6 ft in length. Taking a picture of this beautiful statue was a little tricky, and I just managed to take what I could. Some of the caves above this one were just empty or with inscriptions, and so it was kept locked.

There was a trail going further up, and we decided to walk up the trail in search of caves. Wiki said there is a Jain cave too and so we thought let us go looking for it. There were even steps at a certain point, and we thought we were heading in the right direction. But those steps did not lead us anywhere, and we decided to sit atop the hill and enjoy the view. 

There seemed to be caves and steps to the far end of another side, but it looked far, and after a tiring day, I did not have the zeal to walk till there. 

This was not a solo trip, and I had my friend along. If not, I would have checked out the lower caves and would have walked out. There was none around. As the sun went down, two or three couples walked in to find a spot to make out.

One Day Trip From Bhopal

Would I do just Udaygiri Caves from Bhopal? No. 

They will take about an hour to explore, and that is about it. But you can combine it with a couple of more places around Bhopal and make it a Day Trip.

Sanchi Stupa: The oldest Stupa standing from the third century and was commissioned by Emperor Ashoka himself. This is one of the best UNESCO World Heritage Sites that I have been to. It is well maintained, but the whole monument is well preserved as time has never passed through. It is a must-visit place if you are anywhere close to Bhopal. Udayagiri caves are about 10km from here. 

Read more about Sanchi Stupa here – Click here 

Bhojeshwar Shiva Mandir, Bhojpur – This temple is about 30mins away from Bhopal. Bhojpur is not en route to Udaigiri, but it is definitely worth the 30min deviation. Bhojeshwar is an unfinished temple and has a Shiva Linga as tall as 18ft. It is in a serene setting and is super beautiful to see. I have a youtube video on it, do check it out.

Bhimbhetka Rock Shelters and Cave Paintings: This and Bhojpur lie in a line. So I can do these two and then head to Sanchi along with Udaigir. Bhimbetka caves contain rock paintings, left behind cavemen who occupied this place about a thousand years ago.

Tropic of Cancer: Tropic of Cancer is on the way to Sanchi. Blink, and you miss it. It just passes through the road, and if you had paid even the slightest attention in geography class, you would be thrilled to see the tropic of cancer passing by.

Vidisha – Vidisha is a village close to the Udayagiri caves. I was not aware of it and I did not visit this place. But later came to know about the Heliodorus pillar. Apparently, this pillar was constructed by a Greek guy who got fascinated by Hinduism and got converted to Hinduism. Locally this pillar if now called Khamb Baba and people worship it.

More about Vidisha here – Click Here  

How to Reach Udayagiri Caves 

Udaygiri is about 60km from Bhopal. There are some resorts scattered here and there around the monuments like Sanchi and Bhimbetka. But I feel staying at Bhopal and covering the rest of the places using a vehicle will be much easier. I could not even find public transport plying to Sanchi and other places. 

So, stay at Bhopal and hire a cab. Bhopal has Uber and Ola cab facilities, and you can hire those vehicles for a day. 

Bhopal has an airport and is well connected to other cities through road, bus, and train.

Where to Stay

Bhopal has some interesting heritage properties to stay at. Other option is staying around the Upper Lake. The lake scenery is good plus the place is buzzing with activities. So a nice place to stay. Bhopal is clean and neat with wide roads and a safe place to walk around. So no harm with regards to where you want to put up. Choose your choice of stay here – Click here to book hotels at Bhopal 

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