Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri & Udayagiri
The mini golden triangle of Orissa tourism -- thst's Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri. These three hills of the Assia range and situated on the banks of the river Virupa possess the ruins of unique Buddhist monastic complexes. Lalitagiri is believed to be one of the earliest Buddhist establishments in the world:
Excavations at Lalitagiri show it to be a flourishing Buddhist centre of the 2nd century B.C. The most important structure here is the ruin of Apsidal Temple. Excavations at Ratnagiri show that this site as a Buddhist centre date back to at least the sixth century A.D. For lovers of art and architecture, Ratnagiri offers in its magnificent ruins a large brick monastery with beautiful doorways, bronze and stone images of Buddha as well as divinities of the Buddhist pantheon. With the discovery of a large head of Buddha on top of the hill, one can appreciate the huge size of the original images.
Udayagiri's Buddhist complex is later than those of Lalitagiri and Ratnagiri. It probably flourished between the 7th and 12th centuries A.D. Visitors to the site are met with the grand sight of a sprawling monastery complex which is to be reached through a long stairway. Among the sculptures found are Bodhisattva figures and Dhyani Buddha figures. An image of Lokesvara, holding a large lotus, stands at the foot of the hill.
ACCESS
The places are about 100 km from Bhubaneswar, and can be reached by road.