Latlitgiri

Some 83 km east of Bhubaneswar, there is located an ancient Buddhist complex amidst the picturesque Birupa-Chitrotpala valley in the district of Cuttack, Odisha. This Buddhist heritage site in Odisha dates back to 1st century AD. Lalitgiri is an important part of the Diamond Triangle of Odisha which includes three major ancient Buddhist sites; Ratnagiri and Udayagiri being the other two. In 1937, the central government gave this place the status of a protected monument. The place constitutes stupas, monasteries, and Buddha images as its main attractions. It is said that Lalitgiri was a prime place of Tantric Buddhism. Some excavations were carried out at Lalitgiri in 1977 by Utkal University. However, the major excavation was carried out by Bhubaneswar Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India between 1985 and 1991 to find the Pushpagiri. Pushpagiri was mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler Xuanzang. It was this excavation which officially declared Lalitgiri an ancient Buddhist site in Odisha.