The magic of Buddhist art

THE excavation of numerous sculptures, reflecting the history of Buddhism at Ratnagiri, Lalitagiri and Udayagiri in Orissa, speak of a glorious era in this ancient land, one which gradually faded into the distant past. "The golden triangle of Buddhism", 100 km from the State capital and temple city of Bhubaneswar, boasts of magnificent remains of Buddhist images, life-size statues and various historical details depicted in stone. It would not be an exaggeration to call these finely carved images "poetry on stone".

The active interest and patronage of the Bouma-Kara rulers (most of whom were followers of the Buddha) led to the region attaining near perfection in Buddhist art.

Excavation in these areas goes back to 1957 when the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the supervision of Debdata Mitra, began to work in Ratnagiri, an important centre of Buddhist art. Numerous Buddha idols of varying size were unearthed as were intricately carved stupas, a monastery with just one wing, stone sculptures, bronze images and seals.

The existence of a staircase in the monastery suggests that it was double storeyed. The attractive greenstone gateways are finely carved with elaborate sculptures from the Buddha's life in the front and rear sections. Many articles are carved with images of the Buddha - ornaments, including garlands, and miniature figures.

Excavations at Lalitagiri were started by the ASI in 1985. Geographically, the site fits the description of the Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang. This place holds special prominence for Buddhists. A magnificent discovery at Lalitagiri was a golden casket containing tiny bones, presumed to be the relics of the Buddha and his favourite disciple. The casket is like a Chinese puzzle with four independent boxes one inside the other - giving an image of unique unity. The casket was discovered among the ruins of a stupa on the Lalitagiri hills. This has been shifted to the ASI office in Bhubaneswar.

Excavations have also unearthed remains of a huge apsidal Chaityagriha facing east and measuring 20 metres in length and 11.40 metres in width. Interestingly, the chaitya is the only one of its kind discovered during excavations in Orissa.

A large number of statues of the Buddha and other Buddhist divinities recovered from the apsidal chaityagriha complex belong to an earlier tradition. Antiquities in Kushan-Gupta style are also among the findings. Other significant finds include a life- size image of the Buddha. Seven consecutive sessions of archaeological excavations brought to light a huge stupa on a hilltop. A unique teracotta Buddha idol was also unearthed here.

The Udayagiri monastery, excavated in 1986, is almost identical to that in Ratnagiri. Flanked by a U-shaped hill, Udayagiri is located at a distance of 10 km from Lalitagiri. Situated on the other side of the quietly flowing Birupa, Udayagiri forms the golden triangle along with Ratnagiri and Lalitagiri. An ancient water reservoir at Udayagiri makes it different from other Buddhist shrines. Excavation works still continue here and statues and other articles are being discovered.

An exquisite doorway was found perfectly preserved during the Udayagiri excavations. It consists of two stone slabs, supporting a third as a lintel. The screen has an ornamented sculpture and the architectural style is absolutely amazing. Images of the Buddha, Varjasena Buddha, Avalokiteswara and Amitabha were also unearthed.

Standing there and marvelling at the countless magnificent statues and the remains of such stupendous arcarchitecture evokes awe. Everything looks so real that one wonders whether they really belong to the past. A look at the scattered bells, statues and brick-walled low structures makes you feel that time has stood still.

For tourists, another centre of attraction is the well-maintained museum which displays treasures unearthed from the golden triangle. One can see various statues and articles. The Buddha statues in different mudras - dhyana mudra and abhaya mudra impart a very serene feeling. The museum boasts of rare artefacts and articles of those ancient times.

Ratnagiri, Lalitagiri and Udayagiri were important seats of Buddhist learning. Some scholars believe that the Puspagiri Mahavir lies buried in this Buddhist complex. Wipisara believe that the Lalitagiri, Udayagiri and Ratnagiri complex is the ancient Puspagiri Vihar (Buddhist University) of the Seventh Century. According to him, the site is older than Nalanda in Bihar.

Since 1995-96, the centre has cut the allocations for the excavation. This led to stopping the work. Due to scarcity of funds, there was no proper security in Lalitagiri and smugglers did a brisk business taking advantage of the situation.

However, the situation has improved recently and strict vigilance by local people has been helpful in putting a check on smuggling of antiques here. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of tourists to this golden triangle of Buddhism as local villagers proudly claim that foreign tourists are visiting these places of great historical significance and architectural wonders.

As tourism is expected to take a new turn in the millennium - the "Nalanda of Orissa" is on its way to carve a niche for itself on the tourism map of India.

Fact file

Ratnagiri, Udaygiri and Lalitgiri have magnificent remains of Buddhist edifices. These places are 100 kms from Bhubaneswar.

The State capital is well-connected by air and railways with Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. One can stay at Bhubaneswar and cab it down to these places. A number of hotels are available in Bhubaneswar as per one's budget.

DEEPIKA SAHU

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