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Dhauli hill on the bank of the river Daya is a little away
from the main road as one drives to
Puri /
Konark from
Bhubaneswar
. This stands as the mute witness to the great 'Kalinga' war which fought
in the 3rd century B.C. the great transformation, unprecedented in whole
of the world, took place here.
Ashokan
Rock-Eddicts
Ashoka, the great seeing the horrors of war changed his mind in favour of
spiritual conquests in preference to his war exploits. He donned orange
robes and the world saw in Ashoka the making of a great patron of
Buddhism. Dhauli is famous
for the Ashokan rock-edicts, which are inscribed on a rock, with the
relief of an emerging elephant at the top. These contain eleven of the
well-known set of fourteen rock-edicts found within the limits of the
Ashokan Empire. Here Ashoka had got inscribed two separate rock edicts
especially for the people of Kalinga.
The Stupa of Peace
The serenity of the place and the legacy of Buddhism motivated the "Kalinga
Nippon-Buddha Sangha", under the guidance of 'Guruji Fujii', Founder
President of "Nipponzan Myohoji" of Japan to establish a "Peace
Pagoda" or "Shanti Stupa" at Dhauli. along with the
construction of a monastery called "Saddharma Vihar" in early
seventies.
Along with the Ashokan Edicts, the peace pagoda and modern Buddhist
monastery, Dhauli offers
the visitors small rock cut caves, Hindu temples of early medieval period
and a renovated Shiva temple dedicated to Lord 'Dhavalesvara' on top of
the hill as added attractions.
The beautiful rural landscape, the old monuments, the new peace pagoda
and the temple on the top of the hill with a winding Daya river flowing by
offers a sublime tranquility and meditative serenity.