Friday, July 09, 2010

Dhauli Hill (Dhaulagiri), Orissa, India

Lord Buddha used to preach here. His preaching's were so strong that King Ashoka renounced war and embraced Buddhism.

Sanchi Stupa at Dhauli Hill
Situated on the banks of the Daya river and at about eight kilometres from Bhubaneshwar, Dhauli is the place where the gory Kalinga war was fought in 261 B.C. Today, Dhauli doesn’t look gory at all. Instead, it is a picture of greenery, peace and serenity.

Peace Pagoda at Dhauli Hill
The Peace Pagoda built by the Japanese Buddhist Sangha stands tall on a hill and overlooks the entire Dhauli plain. This peace pagoda houses various statues of Lord Buddha and visually depicts stories of the Kalinga War and King Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism.

Lord Buddha at Dhaulagiri
Dhauli hill has major edicts of King Ashoka engraved on a mass of rock, by the side of the road leading to the summit of the hill.

Stories on Buddhism engraved on the walls of Dhaulagiri
The Dhauli edicts are written in the Prakrit language using the Brahmi script. It is here that Emperor Ashoka declared his doctrine of paternalism, accepting all men as his children, urging his administrators at Toshali to work for the welfare of Kalinga.

King Ashoka and his path to Buddhism 
One can also get excellent view of the plains of the Daya river where the Kalinga war was fought from the top of the Dhauli Hill. A lot of ‘speaking’ stone panels adorn the peace pagoda. These include the reclining Buddha, an elephant procession, the Bodhi tree, footprints of Buddha bearing the chakra (wheel), a sleeping beauty fanned by female attendants, procession on horse back, and Emperor Ashoka renouncing war by offering his sword to Lord Buddha at Dhaulagiri Hill.

Dhaulagiri Sanchi Stupa 
Dhauli Hill and the Peace Pagoda let one get a glimpse of India’s and Buddhism’s history and also allows one to admire nature’s beauty here.

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7 comments:

  1. While reading I was expecting to find the rock edict while scrolling down. I also missed it during my visit. Pictures are also fine.

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  2. Edicts did not look appealing enough for me to take pictures. Only the historical aspects were interesting. Rest, it failed to evince any interest in the photographer in me.

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  3. Nice temple. Thanks for sharing. Is it the same dhawalagiri in himalayas?

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  4. Hi K! Good to hear from you again! No, this is not the same as dhawalagiri in the Himalayas. This one is a Buddhist and a historical centre, while the other one is a Hindu Temple.

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  5. Edicts did not look appealing enough for me to take pictures. Only the historical aspects were interesting. Rest, it failed to evince any interest in the photographer in me.

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  6. very nice place.......i miss this place.

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