As compared to other Indian states, Odisha’s contribution to Buddhism is immense. As the ancient tale mentions, it’s said that the hair relic of Lord Buddha was brought to Utkala (Odisha’s ancient name) by two merchants named Bhallika and Tapassu. These traders then deposited the hair-relic in a Chaitya (Kesha Stupa) built by them. Interestingly, these two merchants were also the first disciples of Lord Buddha. And in the course of time, even the tooth and nail relics of Lord Buddha were bought to Odisha. That’s how the sacred Buddhist learnings initially entered the state.

As per the archaeological excavations, around 200 Buddhist sites are scattered across the length and breadth of Odisha, which date back from the 6th century BC to at least the 15th-16th centuries AD, with the 8th-10th centuries being the period when Buddhism actually prospered in the state.
As of today, the largest concentration of Buddhist remains in the state can be sighted in three sites namely Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, and Lalitgiri, which is also popularly referred to as “The Diamond Triangle.” Not just these sites comprise of picturesque views, series of monasteries, temples, shrines, stupas, and beautiful sculptures of Buddhist images but also offer a visceral experience of the rich Buddhist heritage in the state.

Udayagiri(Sunrise Hill) is the one of the largest Buddhist sites in Odisha, and is easily accessible in the city of Bhubaneswar. Most importantly, it is situated in the basin of a U-shaped hill, and the remains comprise of a huge monastic complex, a brick Mahastupa, two brick monasteries, a massive shrine complex, a beautiful stone stepped well and various rock cut sculptures. Tourists can also spot ancient inscriptions embellished all over the picturesque stone-well and stunning rock-cut sculptures which adorn Udayagiri.

Next up, Lalitgiri is even a fantastic site to visit for its beautiful monasteries and stupas. Belonging to the 1st century, it is considered to one of the oldest of the three sites included in the ‘Diamond Triangle Tour.’ Lalitgiri is also sacred in terms that a massive stupa where a relic of Buddha was discovered – his teeth in the form of a bone inside a stone casket. While here, you can also visit the museum which houses several sculptures including the casket with Buddha’s relic.

The third site, Ratnagiri, is also one of the most important destinations of the Diamond Triangle wherein a large monastery, a giant stupa and several other Buddhist shrines have been excavated. As per the historians, Ratnagiri was established around the 5th century by the Gupta kings and the region flourished till the 13th century. Also, the most important monument here is the giant and beautiful mahastupawhich has been surrounded by several smaller stupas, and is believed to have been built around the 9th century.

One of the other Buddhist destinations in the state which is highly popular among the tourists and offers a spectacular view is the Dhauligiri. It’s nicely tucked in a hill range in the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Being of a historic significance, it was here at Dhauli by the side of Daya River that emperor Ashok laid down the weapons of violence and accepted a life of Ahimsa (non-violence)in the form of Buddhism after the great Kalinga war.

Besides all these beautiful sites, Buddhist monuments are scattered throughout the state which are still awaiting further excavation and study. Cuttack, Sambalpur, Balasore, Ganjam and Phulbani are some places in the state, to name a few.

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In fact, the state has been a home to Hindus, Jains and Buddhists as well, and houses such brilliant tourist attractions that it will leave you spellbound. A lot of historical sites are scattered all over the state. In case you happen to be in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, you can visit the Chausathi Yogini Temple, which is a 10th century old temple, and was constructed during the Kalachuri kingdom. The structure resembles that of the temple in Khajuraho, and it follows the Yogini culture, where about 70 Yoginis reside in it. The temple in itself looks remarkable and will give you a memorable time.

Not just this temple, Bhubaneswar is filled with amazing heritage strictures, some which carries the echoes of ancient tales, and others being of religious significance. If you’re more inclined towards spirituality and heritage at the same time, then do visit the Lingaraja Temple, Rajarani Temple, Mukteswar Temple and others located in the city.

Of if you feel like sighting some unique heritage structure, then do visit the Khandagiri – Udayagiri caves, go for a guided tour here, and learn about the history of these caves as well as of Odisha, like never before. The caves look splendid, and are replete with beautifully carved inspirations as well as figurines. You can also be at Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri for some more brilliant views and tales of the past.

Situated not far from Bhubaneswar, in the pristine Dhauli Hills, is situated the Dhauligiri, which makes up for a great attraction, and is the heritage site which witnessed the transformation of King Ashoka’s character. In fact, it is a great place for people following Buddhism, and the site houses a beautiful Peace Pagoda, besides having rock cut caves as well as a Sadharmavihar monastery nearby.

For a more scenic and enhanced knowledge of Odisha’s Buddhism culture, you have to visit the Padmasambhava MahaVihara Monastery, located in Jirang, which is a serene sight to visit, and to take back some peaceful moments.

While at Cuttack, you can catch the views of the historic Barabati Fort, which is a 14th-century fort, built during the Ganga dynasty, bringing charm and glory to the Millennium City.

If you’re in Konark, then do not forget to visit the Konark Sun Temple, which is one of the best and most significant heritage sites situated in Odisha. As the name suggests, the temple has three deities dedicated to the Sun God on three different sides, which catch the direct rays of sun in the morning, afternoon and evening. In fact, this temple is considered to be one of the last standing structures before the fifteenth century in the country.

That apart, the sight and beauty which the Jagannath Temple, Puri offers is beyond comparison. The kind of architecture which the temple adorns amamzes both the first-time as well as frequent visitors. Your stay in Odisha will be considered incomplete without visiting this heritage temple, which is revered by one and all.

That apart, there are a lot many heritage sites in the state, which carries an old-world charm, and also depict the rich heritage culture of Odisha.

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To embark the place, a Shanti Stupa was developed by the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangh and Japan Buddha Sangh in 1972. At this place, people can find Lord Buddha edicts and the overall structure and layout of the Shanti Stupa is dome shaped. Tourists can even have a look at the Bodhi tree and Buddha footprints over the stone panels there. At the vicinity, there is a monastery as well, widely known to be as Saddharma Vihar monastery, widely preferred to be visited by the Buddhist devotees and others at a large scale. People can also spot a number of chaityas, stupas and pillars here. There is in fact a large array of edicts indicating King Ashoka’s intent spreading harmony, happiness, peace and contentment all around. His ultimate aim in life later becomes to serve and adopt mankind, as he took Buddhist teachings and principles deep into his heart. There is a rock cut elephant there that was known to be the earliest Buddhist sculpture in Odisha. The other attractions of the spot are Dhavaleshwar temple that has been renovated in 1972. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is also recognized to be a place of mass gathering, especially at the time of Shiv Ratri.

Time to Visit:

Dhauli Giri Hills is open and could be visited all days in between 6 AM to 6 PM. Even, light and sound show held here and the timings of them are in between 6 PM to 6:45 PM, except on Mondays. There is no entrance fees needed to visit the same. For light and sound show, Rs. 10 will be charged with students and Rs. 25 with others.

In all, Dhauli Giri Hills in Bhubaneswar takes people and tourists from all around to check out the Vishwa Shanti Stupa. With both spiritual and religious beliefs, Buddhism has spread into different corners of the world. The dome shaped like structure of Shanti Stupa has five umbrellas and each one of them depict the five essential parts of Buddhism. Do make sure to visit the spot Dhauli Giri hills once in a lifetime with an open mind, and see the positivity and peace that it would lend in your life. The hills are surrounded overall with amazing serenity, landscapes, and a charm that will soothe down mind, body and soul in a remarkable way. Let Best Choice Holiday travel agent devise your trip to Dhauli Giri Hills this time and from onwards, you will not go to anyone else for the itinerary and your travel.

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How and When to best visit these famous Buddhist sites of Odisha?

The popular Buddhist site that is ‘Diamond Triangle’ is located at an about 2 hours distance to North of Bhubaneswar in the Asia Hills. The nearest train station is Cuttack and the nearest airport is in Bhubaneswar only. The best time to visit is in the cooler dry months that is in between October to March and afterwards the weather gets scorching hot and humid during April and May.

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Here, follows the list of Buddhist sites that are worth and must to check out.

Ratnagiri – Been referred to as “Hill of Jewels”, it holds much of paramount importance in Odisha as a worth visiting Buddhist site, check out the Buddhist teachings as well as its mesmerising sculptures. The first Buddhist university of the world is believed to be located in Bihar state in Nalanda earlier and that is now located at Ratnagiri. The site is discovered back in year 1905. As per the sources, the Buddhist site dates back to 6th century AD. The excavations were conducted in between the time period of 1958 to 1961, and a lot of shrines, two monasteries, a huge stupa, several votive stupas, stone and terracotta based sculptures, Buddhist antiquities, architectural fragments involving copper, bronze, brass objects and so. The huge stone Buddhist sculptures here are simply must to have a look at and inspiring. There are over two dozen heads of Buddha of different sizes depicting the serene and calm meditative Buddha expressions, and are regarded as excellent works of art. There are four galleries here that open daily in between 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening, except for Friday.

Udayagiri – Been referred to as ‘Sunrise Hill”, it is been reckoned as a home to another huge Buddhist complex in Odisha and lots of tourists come from all around to have a look at the two brick monasteries, a stupa, different rock-cut Buddhist sculptures and a stepped stone with inscriptions. The stupa present here has four seated stone Buddha statues facing in each direction. Even the monastery is remarkable available with 18 cells along with a shrine chamber with intricately and impressively carved ornamental façade. In fact, as per the sources, the excavation did introduce several stone sculptures and Buddhist images. Adding to this, another great attraction of the site is the gallery comprising rock-cut pictures of Buddha looking out along with the Birupa River. It consists of five images including a standing Buddha, a seated Bodhisattva, a goddess seated over a stupa, a standing life size Boddhisattva, and a standing Boddhisattva.

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Lalitagiri – It is another one of the oldest Buddhist settlements of Odisha. The excavations were carried out here in between 2nd century BC to 13th century AD in between the time period of 1985 to 1992, and as a result, a stupa, four monasteries, different stone sculptures of Buddhist divinities and an apsidal chaitya hall have been found. Most of the Buddha sculptures that were discovered during the excavations, are supposed to be housed in a sculpture shed that lies next to the monasteries. Some have been lost or been shifted to other museums too.

Langudi Hill – It is renowned to be the place where the acknowledged Buddhist monks met with The Great Emperor Ashoka. Here at this place, a huge number of stone inscriptions are installed and written by the emperor himself, as per the sources. The major attractions of this site are rock-cut sculptures and stupas. Even, people can see the devastation there of a monastery, seals, terracotta based figurines, broken pottery and more.

Chandragiri – In 2010, famous Dalai Lama introduced the biggest monastery of South Asia at Chandragiri located nearby Berhampur. It is spread in a very large area of 10 acres, and as per the sources, the monastery houses a big 21 feet Buddha idol, Avaloketeswara and the 17 feet high Buddha Padma Sambhav. For the same, the stone foundation has been done back in 2003 and the construction got completed in 2009.

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Dhauligiri – This site is also reckoned and well known for its Buddhist monuments. It is also well acknowledged to be the site where the intense battles had been fought and even won by the Emperor Ashoka. In fact, the monument is known to be the one that saw the transformation of an ambitious king to a prospering one and then to be a follower of Buddha and his teaching. The place is about at an 8 km distance from Bhubaneswar, and the evidence of the transformation is the rock that is been pictured with an image of an elephant chiseled from the overhanging rock. There are as of now two such rock commandments that survive in Odisha.

In a shell, Buddhism heritage, ancestry and teachings is deeply rooted in Odisha and these beautiful sculptures, monuments, stupas, and the followers certainly proudly stand as a declaration to this fact. Are you a disciple of Buddhism? Want to have a look at the ancient stupas and monuments of Buddhist? Planning a trip to Odisha? If the answer is yes to any, make sure to give Best Choice Holiday a chance to manage your itinerary and trip, in accord to your meets and desires and turn your time into lifetime cherishing moments.

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