Walk the Buddha path

The Diamond Triangle of Odisha isn’t just three heritage sites, but a cluster of many landmarks that tell the story of Buddhism — from its birth to being a complete religion, writes Madhulika Dash

A few years ago, the Odisha excavation team headed by noted Buddhism scholar AK Sahu made a stunning revelation about Gautama Buddha’s birthplace — no, it wasn’t Kapilavastu in Nepal as previously believed but Lumbei in Kapileswar near Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The basis of the new finding was not only the new excavations made in Langudi and Udaygiri that dated back to Buddhism in Odisha nearly 2500 years ago, but also ancient records like Tripitaka that mentions Lumbini or Lumbei as a small estate with its capital in Kapilvastu. A fact that was corroborated by the Ashoka edicts found in various sites and the maps of 1817 AD.

Fascinatingly, Sahu wasn’t the first historian to make such a claim. In 1977, historian Chakradhar Mohapatra too asserted the fact in his book The Real Birthplace of Buddha followed by a detailed article in The Amrit Bazar Patrika calling it “factually valid.” The refresh button made Odisha (and the world) take a new look at the stretch of Khurda to Jajpur — once the epicentre of maritime trade and the playground where the religion grew. Giving it further credence were the relics found in the Mayavani temple near the Konark temple. It was the birth of what today is referred to as the Diamond Triangle.

On Google map, the triangle looks like this huge swathe of land, with Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udaygiri representing an important site, which Buddhist specialists believe were the foundation pillars among which Buddhism went from simply being a path of meditation to one of the most influential religions in the world.”

Located within a few miles of each other — reaching Udaygiri from Bhubaneswar is a two-hour drive — these sites, in spite of their fragile state are a living testimony of how Buddhism evolved in Kalinga, even before Emperor Ashoka and the famous Kalinga War. The ruins here present a graphical description of the rise and fall of the three main schools of Buddhism — Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana — and the evolution of the Buddhist style architecture. In fact, by the time the Kalinga War happened, Buddhism had transitioned from the simple Theravada, the oldest school of thought that promoted bhiksham dehi and meditation as the way to nirvana, towards Mahayana, which advocated idol worship.

Take Udaygiri for instance — one of the prized sites of Buddhism, it was also a centre of learning and influencing. It was here that the concept of Buddhist viharas — which a flourishing township replete with community kitchen, temples, institutes and dharma shalas took shape. These viharas played the double role of a resting place for travellers as well as a university of Buddhist learning complete with a temple dedicated to Buddha and his many forms, and a kitchen that promoted the idea of ‘simple food’.

The kitchen block in Udaygiri fascinatingly is one of the largest to be found in the nine different sites that have been excavated since 1928. Based on the science of Vastu, it was believed that the food had to be blessed first by the rising sun — this kitchen delivered food to not one monastery but at least seven of them around this area, including the temple in the vicinity, which was once bigger than Nalanda. The layout and the placement of the kitchen influenced the temple architecture of Odisha and is said to be one of the finest examples of an efficient and sustainable hearth.

Built on the express highway, Udaygiri’s proximity to Ratnagiri and a much-older Lalitgiri — and of course the maritime route — made it one of the most influencing centres from 1 BC to 6 AD. It was the time when Mahayana school evolved into a religion that was practised and patronised not only by Emperor Ashoka but the Kushans, Guptas, Palas, and even Bhaumakras of Odisha. The tradition continued well within the 7th century. But where did the real journey of Buddha begin? At Langudi and Lalitgiri. Said to be the oldest Buddhism site in the country, it is here in Langudi that Gautama Buddha achieved nirvana and built the first collective that would travel the world propagating the thought. While Langudi became the de facto place of chaitya (place of worship), Lalitgiri was developed as a centre of learning and art. This led to the building of the first viharas that were plain yet functional and hence survived till the 12th century AD when a more ornate style took over. Patronised by many dynasties, Lalitgiri lay the foundation of the concept of Mahaviharas and the stupa style of architecture. This became a centre of relic worship as well.

The popularity of Buddhism led to many smaller and bigger viharas mushrooming in and around the maritime highway, each loyal to a particular school of thought. So while Lalitgiri and Langudi were big on making a bold statement with their chaitya griha, figurines and massive stupas; others like Radhanagar, Kayama, Tarapur scored on their layout that showcased the urban lifestyle back in the time and included cells for monks and dormitories for students and travellers. Take the case of Radhanagar, one of the earliest Buddhist settlements where a rich bounty of coins, Roman seals, black polished wares, terracotta lion, decorated potsherds and inscribed pendant of a Buddhist monk (Sadhabhu Tissa) from Sri Lanka, clearly hint towards a prosperous past. By the 8th century AD most of the mahaviharas and nagaras that were built celebrating the early teachings of Buddhism began to turn towards tantric Buddhism, a school made of complex philosophies and rituals. The place of their evolution was Ratnagiri. As the fourth quadrant and third pillar of the diamond trilogy, Ratnagiri’s brilliance was its massive monastery built in a singular structural monument with a front porch and the façade of the shrine. It was the first example of a complete, modern-day vihara complete with a stupa, a front gate to the life-size statues of Buddha and the residential cells of monks who lived in this cultural centre. Excavation-wise, one of the richest and most well-preserved sites, this 8th-century learning space was home to Pushpagiri University — and had one of the largest collections of written work that travelled the world. In fact, it finds a mention in the travel chronicles of Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang, who had a look at the first amphitheatre for discourses and had called it the most fascinating diamond of learning.