I had found it difficult even to locate the famous rock edict of Asoka there- a desert area. But today it is crowed. Under the auspices of a Japanese Buddhist mission, huge stupa has been erected over the hillock, chiseling and whittling it down to shape. A temple has sprung up an adjacent hillock too and drums and gongs and the din and bustle from both keep the place continuously festive. But with apologies to the makers of these monuments, I must say that the sublime silence and tranquility that once marked the spot conveyed the spirit of Asoka’s transformation much better.’
The three seats of Buddhist relies that made up the Pushpagiri Vihara of Huien Tsang’s account, and which have hardly received any publicity, are Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri 30, 32 and 38miles respectively from Cuttack. The magnificent images and sculptures discovered and taken care of by the Archaeological deportment introduce the place as an affluent university of Mahayana scholarship of the seventh century. This, according to the late Charles Fabri, should `rank with Nalanda and Taxila as among the largest Buddhist establishments anywhere in India.’