Buddhist Complex in Odisha is located on the hills of Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri and Dhauligiri. Among these, the one present in Dhauligiri, located 14 km away from Udayagiri, is considered to be the most important one. Dhauligiri is believed to be the place where the famous Kalinga war was fought and where Emperor Ashoka adopted Buddhism in the quest to find the real truth of life, after leaving the chase for supremacy.
Several inscriptions, rock edicts, stupas and Buddha’s sculptures excavated from this place indicate the fact that Ashoka was strongly inclined towards Buddhism. Several chaityas and pillars were also excavated from here.
A white pagoda named as ‘Shanti Stupa’ built on top of the hill in 1970, is now home to numerous Buddhist pilgrims thronging to this place each year. Several Buddha statues are built inside this stupa making it a worthy visiting place. One Shiva Temple is also present on the hilltop where Shiv Ratri is celebrated with much fun and gaiety.