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Udayagiri & Khandagiri Caves
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Dhauligiri
|| Ratnagiri
|| Lalitagiri
This was, after all, the place where Emperor Asoka the Great fought the terrible war of Kalinga circa
261 BC, in which thousands died. Later he converted to
Buddhism and sent emissaries all over Asia.
To mark this important milestone in his life, he
commissioned the so-called Asokan Edict, which still
stands in Orissa today. It’s at
Dhauli, 8kms
from the capital, Bhubaneshwar, and attracts many
Buddhist pilgrims. With the Dhaulagiri hills all around,
and the Daya River flowing in front, this, the earliest
known example of rock-cut sculpture in India, is a
riveting sight.
Featuring an elephant which seems to be emerging
from the monolith of stone, evoking the image of a baby
coming forth from the womb, this sculpture became the
signature of Asoka, who had similar structures erected
wherever he or his envoys travelled. Since that time the
elephant has been closely associated with Buddhism.
There’s an outstanding range of Buddhist monuments in
Orissa and rigorous excavations are still being carried
out there by officials from the Archaeological Survey of
India, resulting in lots of exciting new finds. We
encountered this ourselves when we took a tour of the
variously named Buddhist or Diamond Triangle -
comprising the towns of Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri and
Udayagiri - some 100km from Bhubaneshwar.
The settlements are close to one other and together
make for an arresting spectacle of verdant,
antique-looking hills dotted with the brick-red ruins of
monasteries built from traditional khandolite stone,
sculpted stone portals and Buddhist images. The Buddhist
Triangle was first mentioned by the Chinese traveller
Huien Tsang, whose writings on ancient India are one of
the most important documentary sources we have on this
period of history. He says he saw more than 100
monasteries in Lalitagiri, considered the oldest
Buddhist spot in Orissa. Surrounded by green fields and
undulating hills, the town has many striking monuments
to Buddha displayed at an on-site museum. A spectacular
discovery was made there in 1985, when a stupa was found
to contain a casket with bones thought to belong to the
Teacher himself.
Udayagiri, located in a U-shaped valley
surrounded by hills, has one of the largest monastery
complexes in Orissa and boasts amazing Buddha images,
some 61 metres tall. It is best known as the location of
a series of caves, nine metres deep and 1.2m high, which
are supposed to have been hollowed out on the orders of
the first-known ruler of Orissa, King Kharavela. The
interiors contain many inscriptions lauding that
monarch’s military exploits and referring to various
cultural and social pursuits of the day.
We make our way through a scenic rural landscape,
passing by the pretty Kelu River, to reach Ratnagiri,
the town with the most spectacular Buddhist monuments.
We walk up a hill, studded with blocks of ancient
laterite, where archaeological digs are underway. Here,
every stone tells a tale - or would, if only we could
decipher all the inscriptions; international scholars
have been invited to come and study them. Our guide
points out one which apparently records the fact that
Emperor Asoka once came here to pray.
We feast our eyes on a huge Buddhist stupa and
tour an immense quadrangle of monasteries with
exquisitely carved doors, pillars and corridors; there’s
even a head of Maitreya, the future Buddha.
We feel part of a rare and sanctified scenario as
we imbibe the stunning atmospherics of the area. Freshly
unearthed Buddhist images are scattered all around and
we are told that it will take at least another five
years to complete the excavation work. Each of the nine
hills in the background boasts a stupa. On one an
elephant has been hewed from a single massive piece of
stone.
Udayagiri & Khandagiri Caves
||
Dhauligiri
|| Ratnagiri
|| Lalitagiri |
