Five Buddhist Sites Of Odisha That Will Leave You Enlightened

Five Buddhist Sites Of Odisha That Will Leave You Enlightened

Gracing the occasion of Buddha Purnima, we get you the top Buddhist destinations of Odisha that are both picturesque and serene!  

RATNAGIRI

Ratnagiri (Jewel Mountain) is an excavated area comprising of two quadrangular monasteries, along with the remains of eight temples and about 300 minor stupas. The development of Buddhist art and architecture at Ratnagiri, whose ancient name was Ratnagiri Mahaviharaya Arya Viksu Sangha, took place between 5th century AD and 13th century AD. Most of the sculptures found here date back to 8th and 9th centuries. It was a part of the Puspagiri University, together with Lalitgiri and Udayagiri. 

Source : KalingaBuddha 

LALITGIRI

Set in the valley of two rivers, Birupa and Chitrotpala, the monastery was discovered by a local British official in 1905. A seven year excavation of the site by the Archaeological Survey of India beginning in 1985 yielded a number of stone inscriptions, seals, sealing, and potsherds, which established the site as having flourished between 2nd-3rd and 14-15th century AD. It is a popular tourist destination and pilgrimage site for its enormous brick monasteries. 

Source : Saurabh Chaterjee 

UDAYAGIRI & KHANDAGIRI

If Lalitgiri is the oldest Buddhist site in the area, Udayagiri and Khandagiri is the most picturesque. Located at the base of verdant rolling hills forming a semi circle, this site exemplifies the blissful and tranquil natural surroundings selected for the construction of Buddhist monasteries in ancient India. It is a Buddhist complex in Odisha comprising major stupas and monasteries and is also famous for its Jain monuments. 

Source : Pratik Mohapatra

DHAULIGIRI

Dhauli is also famous for its Buddhist monuments. It happens to be the place where the bloodiest of battles were fought and won by Emperor Ashoka. This monument marked his transformation from an ambitious king of a prospering kingdom to a follower of Buddha and his teaching. The evidence of this transformation can be seen at Dhauli, 8 km from Bhubaneswar, in the form of a rock edict marked by the image of an elephant sculpted from the overhanging rock. There are two such rock edicts still surviving in Odisha.

Source : Ramakant Pradhan

CHANDRAGIRI

In the year 2010, Dalai Lama inaugurated South Asia’s biggest monastery at Chandragiri near Berhampur. Spread over 10 acres, the monastery houses a 21 feet high idol of Buddha, 17-feet high second Buddha Padma Sambhav and the idol of Avaloketeswara. The foundation stone for the monastery was laid in 2003 and the construction was completed in 2009 at a cost of rupees eight crore. 

Source : Pratik Mohapatra

Buddhism is deeply rooted in the state of Odisha and these amazing monuments proudly stand as a testimony to this fact!