The well known Hathigumpha inscription (elephant cave inscription) from Udayagiri cave shows the great sanctity of the locality which was inhabited by Jain hermits. This record is incised on a coarse sandstone rock on the roof of the Hathigumpha, a natural cavern on the southern face of the Udayagiri hill. The cave is 57×28 feet. It is divided into 17 lines, each line containing some 90 to 100 letters. It covers an area of about 84sqft. It was discovered for the first time by A. Stirling in 1820 .