Resumo de Orissa : Where The Nature Of India Comes Alive

Today, Buddhism is a widely spread religion in Asia. For this vast expansion of a religion preached over 2500 years before Christ, the credit goes to Orissa, formerly known as 'Utkala'. In ancient past, Utkala was a part of the Kalinga Empire which was invaded by Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century B.C. The Indian history depicts the havoc and horror of this war and there are tales of Ashoka's unfettered greed and ambitions. The Battle of Kalinga was an example of his imperialistic thirst that was not quenched until gallons of blood was shed in the battlefield. It is said that it was such a disastrous war that almost all the warriors were either wounded or dead and then women had to come to the vanguard. Ashoka was touched by this. It was shocking for him that he had become the cause of death of so many people. He put down arms and pledged to spread the religion of peace. He became the follower of Buddha and spent his life in sending emissaries of peace far and wide and concentrated on the welfare of the people.

The Ashoka Pillar, 8 kilometres from Orissa's capital city Bhubneshwar, testifies the Kalinga episode. Close to the Pillar there is a Vishwa Shanti Stupa (a monument dedicated to world peace) which is a revered Buddhist spot. Apart from Bhubneshwar, Puri (60 K.M. from Bhubneshwar) is another important spot for the Buddhists. Almost the same distance from Bhubneshwar, there are the wonderful Khandagiri and Udaigiri caves which are sacred spots for the followers of Jainism. Really! a visit of these spots is heart-throbbing. One feels as if he is entering a world of spiritual tranquility, traversing the path of utmost depth and peace and soaring in the realm of a mystic Nature.

India has been the cradle of many Faiths and Religions but Hinduism is rooted deep. Buddhism became a popular religion because it opposed the Brahmin philosophy of 'Karmakand', i.e. rituals. At such a declining stage of Hinduism when most of its old adherents were fleeing to Buddhism, a unique personality was born in India known to all by the name of Shankaracharya who was hailed by his followers as "Jagadguru" (the teacher of the world) and was believed to be an incarnation of one of the Trinity1, Lord Shankar. A matchless scholar of all the times, Shankaracharya devoted his time and energy to the reinstatement of the lost glory of Hinduism. Thus, this multi-colored state of India has closely been associated with the post-Buddhist renaissance of India. The city of Puri is counted among seven sacred spots that lead to salvation. Ayodhya, Mathura, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika and Dwaraka are the remaining six of such sacred spots, according to a belief.

The revival of Hinduism brought to Orissa the golden age of Temples. It is believed that only around Bhubneshwar, the capital of Orissa well known as the City of Temples or Cathedral City, there were over 7,000 temples but many of them were invaded and destroyed and now only some hundreds exist. Temples are there in all over India but Orissa Temples are just peerless as they strive to depict Hinduism in its full essence, with all its mysteries and philosophies, art of living and way of thinking. The famous Konark Sun Temple, selected by the UNESCO as a world heritage site, is also in Orissa.

Orissa is also a tribal paradise. It has the largest variety of tribal population - each of them distinctively sustaining their identity. This brings to Orissa a rich panorama of tribal dances, folk arts, rituals and languages, handicraft and wizardry, festivities and life-styles. In this lap of Mother Nature, wild animals live as freely as tribal people. Orissa abounds in forests teeming with scarce birds and creatures, elephants, panthers, leopards, cheetals, sambhars, and above all, the Royal Bengal Tigers - one of the rarest tigers of the world. Naturally, Orissa is full of wildlife sanctuaries including the one in Mayurbhanj district where one can see a number of Royal Bengal Tigers. The most famousese sanctuaries is Nandan Kanan which is an extensive natural resort for a wide array of wild animals, birds and reptiles. And here in Orissa one finds great bands of elephants teeming in the vast Chandaka forest. Orissa has beautiful beaches especially in Puri and Konark. Orissa has everything which can easily attract a wayfarer. So, next time you plan to make a trip to India, visit Orissa if you have no time to visit the whole of India. Because if you have seen Orissa, consider you have seen India in a nutshell.

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