Exploring Odisha: The Diamond Triangle

Located about 100 km North – East of Bhubaneswar, in Jajpur District, there are three places collectively called the Diamond Triangle. Ratnagiri,Udayagiri andLalitagiri showcase Odisha’s Buddhist past.

During his visit to India in 639 AD, Chinese traveller Xuanzang  had mentioned about the place  as “Pusi-po-kili”, situated somewhere in Wu-cha (Modern day Odisha ). It was a Buddhist centre of learning and believed to be at par with their famed counterparts of Nalanda&Taxila.

These places were once being regarded as one of the biggest Buddhist places in India, but sadly these are also the least promoted ones.

RatnaGiri:

                It is situated at the hill top, and provides a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. Among the excavated sites, there exist 2 large monasteries, One MahaStupa and many old rock Stupas.  

The first thing you will notice while climbing the top is large collection of small votive stupas. (8th - 11th Century A.D.)

[votivestupas, 8th - 11th Century A.D.]

The large courtyard is filled with excavated rocks which include small and large motifs, many small stupas and statues.

The larger Monastery ( 8th - 11th Century A.D.) is eye-catching with a captivating rock door frame. Entering into the monastery, you will find a large courtyard.

[Monastery -1, 8th - 11th Century A.D.]

At the end, there is an inner sanctum which holds 3 statues. There is a large statue of Buddha, with his bhumisparsha position along with two smaller statues of Padmapani and Vajrapani on either side.

The second Monastery ( 8th - 10th Century A.D.) is a little smaller and lies next to the main monastery. Its inner sanctum holds one small statue of Buddha in standing position.

The highest point of the site is filled with many small and large stupas (some are arranged in circles) , but the Mahastupa (Giant Stupa) ( 8th - 10th Century A.D.), is the one to look out for. Made from red bricks, the structure still speaks the extravagance of the place at that time.

[MahaStupa, 8th - 10th Century A.D.]

There is also a museum containing several artifacts recovered from the excavation.

UdayaGiri:

                It is the least excavated of all. Walking uphill, you will come across many big statues of Buddha in different positions.

There is also a rock-cut stepped well (9th - 11th Century A.D.) which is unique in its kind.

LalitGiri:

It is the largest in terms of areas that are excavated. It consists of many monasteries, a large U-shaped Chaityagriha and a Giant Stupa.

[Monastery -1, 8th - 11th Century A.D.]

[Monastery - 3, 4th - 8th Century A.D.]

[Monastery -4, 8th - 11th Century A.D.]

[ChaityaGriha, 1st Century B.C - 7th Century A.D.]

These places were long lost, buried with time. When I saw and imagined their existence, some 1500 years back, it was like time-travel for me. At the end of it, the explorer in me wanted to stay there. I actually wanted to be there when those places were at the peak of their extravagance.

How to Reach:

•  The places are located at a distance of 100 KMs from Bhubaneswar and well-connected road which are in very good condition.

•   There are sign boards all along the roads to these places. It would be good if you have GPS. 

Exploring Odisha: Call of the Hidden Treasures

                   

             This came as a surprise when two of my colleagues asked me to join them on a weekend ( 2 days and 2 nights) bike trip, to the districts of Ganjam and Gajapati. It was a great opportunity as I was eagerly waiting for such trip to explore the places which are divine and are mostly unheard of.  

And The journey Begins...

Day 1:

 Nirmaljhar:

           We started early in the morning (6 AM) . The one-way broad highway road from Bhubaneswar to Brahmapur is always a delight for bike driving. After driving almost about 120 km s, we took a detour towards this place called “Nirmaljhar”. Though it was never on the list, but then again, what’s the benefit of being on a bike trip?

             Nirmaljhar (Nirmal = Pure, Jhar = Stream) is a transparent, natural, perennial stream that flows through the Badaghati Mountain of the eastern Ghat. There is a picnic spot near by along with many temples(Jagannath, Vimala, Radhakrishna, Nilakantheswar, Surya Narayan and Ganesh) around it. These temples were built by Balunkeswara Maharaja, the king of khallokote estate in 1700A.D.

It was a quiet place .We  spent some quality time at the temple where my friends took some snaps around the premises.

TaratariniAdi Shakti Pitha:

The prime destination of our trip on Day 1 was TaratariniAdi Shakti Pitha. To reach this you need to take a right turn at about 30 KMs before Brahmapur.  Located on the Kumari hills at the bank of the River Rushikulya in Ganjam District, it is worshiped as the Breast Shrine (SthanaPitha). The road condition was good and the cloudy climate added up to our delight when we drove uphill towards the temple along with eye-catching view of river Rushikulya along our side.

[The Rushikulya River]

Shakti Pithas are holy abode of Shakti which are believed to be the places where the body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi fell, when Shiva carried it and wandered. There are more than 50 Shakti Pithas in India (some are even there in Pakistan and Bangladesh too). Out of these, 4 are "Adi Shakti Pithas". Two of the Adi Shakti Pithas are in Odisha [The other being Maa Bimala( PadaPitha) at Puri, Odisha].

It was much of our luck that the day we reached, there was a strike in Odisha for which, the place was not crowded but the temple was open.

Gopalpur sea beach:

                The journey of the day ended at Brahmapur. We quickly checked in at a hotel in the city and rushed to the Gopalpur sea beach, which is about 15 KMs from the main city. The beach used to be a commercial port once. There is also a lighthouse nearby.We witnessed the magnificent view of the Bay of Bengal and spent the evening there as it marked the end of Day – 1 for us.

Day 2:

Taptapani:

                We got up early and started for our next destination. After 56 Kilometers drive from Brahmapur we came across Taptapani, which is a famous hot sulfur water spring. It is situated at the eastern slope of the eastern ghat.  After a drive about 8 KMs uphill, we reached here. With green trees on both sides of the roads and chirping sounds of the birds that could be clearly heard in that silence, it made the whole drive really worth. We missed the deer park that is maintained by the forest department as we were short of time for that day as one of my friends had spent ample time, taking photographs.

N.B: When we reached there, we found only reliance mobile network working at the top.

Chandragiri/Jirang: [Tibet of Odisha]

                One place for which I was really excited, and in a way the prime reason for which I decided to come on this trip, was “Chandragiri/Jirang”.

It was a shame that being in Odisha, I came to know about this place 1 year back, when I was not in India and when my brother had done a bike trip here. That day itself I had decided to visit this place whenever I will be back. 

Jirang is a Tibetan refugee colony present at south-western hills of Gajapati district, where immigrants from Tibet have been rehabilitated since their migration in 1963.

I was driving along many small villages, and was exploring the greenery, cattle on the roads, small kids coming out of the schools for mid-day meal, as it was lunch time.

Reaching there was like opening a gift, wrapped in many layers. With each kilometer we travelled we felt the existence of the Tibetan Colony. On our way we found their prayer flags, rocks with messages on them, written in Tibetan language, and the glimpse of the huge Monastery and Stupas visible from a distance. The feeling was something else.

Finally we reached there. I was really amazed by seeing the way they have made the place heaven.  They were given a land by the Govt. and they have converted it into a really beautiful place.  They grow all sorts of vegetables there .We saw monks on the field, with their cattle. It was like suddenly getting into a completely different country after travelling across many small Indian villages. There is a big monastery built where the monks live. 

After spending much time at the Monastery taking photographs, we felt really hungry and realized that we had not planned for our lunch and it seemed hard to get anything to eat. But to our surprise the canteen inside the Monastery was open and they served us with hot veg Chow mein.  They were really humble and welcoming.

It is indeed the Tibet of Odisha.

It was almost the end of our trip and we had to return to Brahmapur the same evening. Still we took another detour to a small river and waterfall nearby at Khasada.

We travelled about 650 KMs (Round trip) to explore these beautiful places. It was the longest road trip I had and will cherish it for life.

How to Reach:

·         Brahmapur is located at a distance of 171 KMs from Bhubaneswar and well connected via NH-5.

·         Gopalpur is at 15 KMs distance from Brahmapur by road.

·         The distance of Taptapani is 56 KMs from the city and for rest of the destinations ahead (Chandragiri/Jirang), it would be good if you have GPS.

Take my suggestion, don’t use the GPS. Ask the people you meet on the road and enjoy the Road trip as it should be.

हमनवाई...

क्यों पलों को समेटे बैठे हो, चलो नए लम्हे बटोर ते हैं।
बीते हुए उन लम्हों की मद्होशी अच्छी नहीं।


वक़्त बहुत तेज बदलता है, तुम और तेज भागना सीखो।
रुके हुए बेवफा वक़्त से दिल्लगी अच्छी नहीं।


गर थक गए, तो रुकना नहीं; कहीं रुके भी, तो मुड़ना नहीं।
रूठे हुए उन आवाज़ों की ख़ामोशी अच्छी नहीं।


कुछ मोड़ तुमसे छूट गये, तो अफ़सोश क्यों करते हो?
रास्तों से प्यार करो, इन से जुदाई अच्छी नहीं।


लोग वक़्त की तरह हैं, बदलना उनकी फितरत है।
अपने दिल की सुनो, दिल से यूँ बेरुखी अच्छी नहीं।


आंशु कि तरह बनो, आँखों में आये तो सब साफ़ दिखाई दे।
अंधो की इस दुनिया में, प्यार की अगवाई अच्छी नहीं।


तुम खुद अपने दोस्त बनो, हमदर्द भी और हमराज़ भी।
ज़मीर से मुर्दा लोगों से हमनवाई अच्छी नहीं।