Orissa Buddhist Sites

Ruthok Monastery

Buddhist Sites in Orissa - Devotion and History

Orissa might not have many Buddhist sites, but the few places that are there, hold a very important position in history of Buddhism. Huge excavation projects were launched in areas around Bhubaneswar, which showed few signs of Buddhism. The discoveries that were made told us that Orissa has always been an important Buddhist center. The most important center is Dhauli and the oldest is Lalitgiri. Excavations show that Lalitgiri has been an Buddhist settlement since 1st century making it one of the earliest Buddhist sites in the world. There are many monasteries , stupas and caves as tourist attractions.