About Lalitgiri Buddhist Monuments
Lalitagiri, the hill of grace is the oldest pilgrimage destination of Odisha. The Buddhist heritage site preserves a Buddhist temple ruins belonging to the 1st century. Along with this, the region also holds some of the ancient era’s finest sculptures. Other ruins at Lalitgiri feature four monasteries belonging to the ninth century. Excavations conducted in 1982 on the large stupa atop the Lalitgiri hill revealed a gold casket containing a fragment of bone, believed to be a relic of the Buddha. This Buddhist center is now a favoured Buddhist pilgrimage site in Odisha Buddhist Golden Triangle tour.
Located 90 km away from Bhubaneshwar, this is an ancient village surrounded with greenery and mild forests.
Lalitgiri Tourist Attractions
The 1st century Buddhist complex is definitely a big attraction for the pilgrims as well as archaeologists. The sculptures and apsidal temples, belonging to the ancient era also captivate the travellers. There are several stupas in the hill range, and the Chaitya Hills caves are also a major attraction for the tourists. Considering the importance of heritage excavations on the site, this is a popular Buddhist pilgrimage destination.
Excursions from Lalitgiri
Bhubaneswar - Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa is 90 km away from Lalitgiri Tour and offers a good reason to visit this cultural destination. This is famous as city of Hindu temples and features around 500 temples, brilliant in terms of architecture. Also the city displays the rich Odishan architectural styles of 3rd century. The renowned temples here include the Lingaraja temple, Kalinga Buddha Vihara, the Jaggannatha temple and the Mukteshwar temple. Tourists also come to Bhubaneshwar for shopping from Lalitgiri tour.
The Ratnagiri and Udayagiri hills – The presence of Ratnagiri and Udayagiri hills comprise the Buddhist Golden Triangle Tour in Odisha. Located close to Lalitgiri tour, these two are also considered a must visit heritage sites among the Buddhist pilgrims and archaeology enthusiasts. Together, these three destinations comprise an oldest Buddhist university along with ancient art sculptures.
Langudi - The recent excavations in the Langudi hills reveal that it was the former Buddhist seat of learning that flourished until the 11th century in the region. Currently, the site is embellished with a series of rock-cut Buddhist stupas and several early medieval Buddhist monuments and shrines. The destination was also the significant center where all the branches of Buddhism, namely Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana flourished sects of Buddhism.
