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Bhubaneswar( Orissa ): Buddhayan, a body fighting for protection of Buddhist heritage in Orissa, has urged Dalai Lama to visit the 'Diamond Triangle of Buddhism'.
The visit of the spiritual guru to three major Buddhist sites - Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri - to see the remains of Buddhist civilisations would help promote tourism to these Buddhist sites, Buddhayan Secretary Debendra Sahoo said in a memorandum.
The Dalai Lama, who arrived here yesterday, will stay in Orissa till January 14.Sahoo said Buddhism held sway over large parts of these areas in ancient times and Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri form an important part of Buddhist history. The organisation urged the Dalai Lama to visit Lalitagiri where a holy relic of the Buddha was unearthed in 1985 by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
He further said the Dalai Lama had never paid a visit to important Buddhist sites of Lalitagiri, Udayagiri and Ratnagiri where beautiful Buddhist monasteries were excavated in the past.
Buddhayan president Pradipta Bhuiyan said Lalitagiri hillock is famous for the discovery of several Buddha idols, a stupa and three Buddhist monasteries where the monks used to stay and worship.
Seven consecutive sessions of archaeological spadework brought to light a huge stupa on a hiltop at Lalitgiri and a golden casket containing tiny bones, presumed to be the relics of Lord Buddha and his favourite disciple.
The relics were kept in the fashion of a Chinese puzzle box in four independent caskets one inside the other, forming a unity. Those caskets were of Khandolite, stupa shaped, pale grey soapstone, with silver and gold relics enclosed. It was presently under the custody of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Bhubaneswar office, noted Buddhist scholar Dr Harish Chandra Prusti said.
Similarly, the excavations at Udayagiri, popularly known as Sunrise Hill, had brought to light the remains of a huge monastic complex comprising a Mahastupa and an east facing square monastery.
The monastery at Udayagiri had a shrine chamber with an ornate gateway housing a colossal image of the Buddha.
The excavation at Udayagiri too had revealed the remains of a brick built double storied monastic complex. Sculptures of the Buddha and other Buddhist divinities like Tara, Manjushri, Bhirikuti, Hariti, Chunda, Avalokiteswar, Maitra, Aprajita and Vasundhra were worth watching, Bhuyan said.
The visit of the Dalai Lama to the Diamond Triangle of Buddhism would not only attract the tourists but also the scholars working on Buddhism, besides exposing the Buddhist glory in these hillocks to the world, the memorandum said.
