Gudahandi, Gopalpur, Orissa India

Gudahandi, literally, a pot of molasses, is a collection of three small hills of immense historical importance. It is situated in the vicinity of Khaligarh, a tiny village in the fringes of Koraput District, Orissa.

The North and the South hills meet each other in the East forming a courtyard like valley which opens towards the West. There are some ancient caves located at the foot of these hills, facing the valley. Except, the Northern cave all other caves are small. These caves bear pictographic paintings of remote antiquity which have not yet been thoroughly studied, but it is generally surmised that they bear resemblance to the picture scripts of the Indus Valley Civilization. A stream called Behera flows past the village. The ruins of a very old dam which was built across this rivulet is found even today. Local belief is that it is the work of Bhima, the second of the Pandavas.