Wishesh Magazine November_2018 Wishesh Magazine November 2018

has been discovered beside statues of Buddha, Tara, Manjusri, Avalokiteśvara, Jatamukuta Lokesvara and many terracotta (earthenware) seals. Lalitgiri: It is a major Buddhist complex in Odisha. The excavations carried out by the ASI at Lalitgiri have unearthed remnants of a large stupa on the hill. Within the stupa, two rare stone caskets were found with relics of Buddha; this was the first such find in Eastern India. The stone caskets, like Chinese Puzzle boxes, made of Khondalite stone, revealed three other boxes within them, made of steatite, silver and gold respectively; the gold casket, which is the last one, contained a relic or dhatu in the form of a small piece of bone. Another interesting find is that of an east facing apsidal chaityagriha, built of bricks, 33 by 11 meters (108 ft × 36 ft) in size with 3.3 meters (11 ft)-thick walls. This edifice, the first such Buddhist structure found in Odisha, contains a circular stupa at its center. Note: Pushpagiri was an ancient Buddhist Mahavihara located atop Langudi Hills. It contains a unique rock-cut elephant surrounded by four monolithic khondalite pillars; this dates from the Mauryan period in the 3rd century, BCE. Deuli, a hill situated in the confluence of the Brahmani and Kimiria rivers, has preserved five rock-cut Buddhist chambers inside caves. Additional Buddhist sites have been discovered at Bajragiri, Sarapur and Paikrapur. The Langudi sites are perhaps the largest historic Buddhist complex in India. Finally, the word for Diamond Triangle Tour is an iconic Buddhist destination. You can find peace and real joy by exploring around the three places of Diamond triangle. NOVEMBER 2018 | WWW.WISHESH.NET

Wishesh Magazine November_2018 Wishesh Magazine November 2018 | Page 101