The Rich History of Buddhist Culture

Rinky29 Aug, 2022Business

Contributions of Odisha towards the Buddhist culture is beyond measurable. In past, Buddhism occupied a prominent place in religious history of Odisha. Lord Buddha is rightly said the Light of Asia. The great Vaishnav poet Jayadev of Orissa of twelveth century A.D described Buddha as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Buddhism had influenced the social, cultural and political life of Kalinga. The relation of Orissa with Buddhism is very ancient. The early Buddhist texts Nikaya and Jatak mention the names of two merchants of Utkal; Tapassu and Bhallika who were the first devotees of Lord Buddha. They had also received the sacred hairs of Buddha and enshrined the ?Kusha dhatu? at Kalinga. In this way the Buddhism entered in Orissa. During that period ?Akiria bad? was established in Orissa and the followers of this ideology were strongly protesting the Buddhism in Orissa. When Buddha defeated the religious faiths of Akariabzad, Buddhism became very popular in the Soil of Orissa.