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Orissa is in fact the ancient kingdom of Kalinga, where King Asoka fought his bloody Kalinga War at Dhauli in 261 BC. It was here that King Asoka saw the horrors of war, heaps of the dead, wailing of the wounded and the tears rolling down the cheeks of those suffering.
The terrible massacre made him remorseful and his victory echoed defeat. At this juncture appeared the Buddhist monk Upagupta and showed him the path of peace and non violence and the King transformed himself to become the greatest patron of Buddhism, Dharmasoka.
Dhauli
To carry the message to the masses he engraved a set of rock edicts throughout India, one of which can be seen at Dhauli. One can see the forepart of an elephant hewn out of rock above the inscription.
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Dhauli hill on the banks of the River Daya came to be recognised as an important centre of Buddhist heritage lies 8 km to the south of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The site is beautifully maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and up on the hill we could see the remains of Arghyka Varatika Buddhist Monastery.
In 1972, the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha built a Peace Pagoda known as the Viswa Santhi Stupa atop the Dhauli Hill and a monastery below. From here one could get a breathtaking view of the rich landscape amidst the green paddy fields, and the winding river Daya flowing by.
Lalitagiri
Driving northwards about 100 km away from Bhubaneswar on the Chennai-Kolkata highway to the Cuttack District, one could enter the so-called Diamond Triangle of Orissa. One of the earliest Buddhist complexes dating back to the first century AD is Lalitagiri.
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One can see remains of huge brick monasteries, Chaitya hall and a stupa. The Archaeological Survey of India maintains a Museum which displays a host of Mahayana sculptures consisting of colossal Buddha and Bodhisattva Statues , Tara etc.
Excavations are still proceeding and the recent discovery of caskets believed to be containing relics of the Thathagatha from the stone Stupa has tremendously enhanced the sacredness of this site.
The Buddha images show evidence of the influence of the Gandhara school of Art. Undoubtedly the Buddha and the Bodhisattva images are some of the most finely sculptured figures found anywhere in the world.
Ratnagiri
The second site in this Diamond Triangle is Ratnagiri located in the Girupa River Valley and has a rich concentration of antiquitities. Extensive excavations have unearthed large monasteries, a large Stupa along with several smaller ones, Buddhist shrines and numerous sculptures.
It has revealed that this Buddhist Centre has been established during the sixth century AD by the Gupta King Narasimha Gupta Baladatya, credited to have defeated the tyrant Huna King Mihirakula, a persecutor of Buddhists. This centre developed unhindered up to the 12th Century AD.
According to Orissa Government sources, Ratnagiri had been a great centre for Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana art and philosophy. One is spellbound by the magnificently carved door frame at the entrance to the brick monastery. Intricately carved figures in stone slabs and moulded terracotta plaques are of rare beauty and have to be seen to be believed. The Maha Vihara at Ratnagiri had been a great centre of learning in Buddhist Philosophy and the beautiful remains of this centre bear testimony to its great past. Udayagiri
The third site in the Diamond Triangle is Udayagiri, supposed to be the largest Buddhist complex in Orissa which had been a sprawling complex housing the Madhavapura Mahavihara monastery. It is believed that this complex which came into being after Ratnagiri and Lalitagiri had been flourishing between the 7th to 12th Century AD.
One could see the remnants of a large brick monastery behind the Stupa. With the recent excavations by the ASI, images of Bodhisattva, Avalokiteswara, Tara, etc have been found and many more treasures are bound to be found with the progress of these excavations.
Langudi is yet another important Buddhist heritage site within the Diamond Triangle where rock cut Buddha images and that of Emperor Asoka with his two Queens have been discovered.
For Buddhists or those interested in the Buddhist heritage it is really worth exploring Orissa for one would see a great deal and also learn much about the Buddhist heritage of India in general. Much information can be obtained from the Department of Tourism, Government of Orissa located in Bhubanesawar or visit their site at www.orissatourism.gov.in for details.
Bhubaneswar can be easily reached by air or super fast trains. From our experience we found Panthanivas, a tourist Guest House with air conditioned rooms run by the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation an ideal place to stay and explore the heritage sites. They have their own Transport Division to advise and arrange transport to the various sites.
One may witness that Bubaneswar is a Temple city with many ancient temples in and around the city. In fact the magnificent Muktheswar Temple is only a walking distance from Panthanivas. It can be recommended that after visiting Dhauli only 8 km away, you proceed another 60 km to the Sun Temple at Konarka.
The architecture and the portrayals are unrivalled in elegance and grandeur and exhibit the widespread influence of Tantric cults at that time on the same lines as seen from the famous Khajuraho Temple in Central India.
This gorgeous monumental structure made in the form of a twelve wheeled chariot is just breathtaking and is really worth a visit. Time permitting, one could also visit the beach at Chandrabagha and proceed to see the famous Jagannath Temple at Puri. You need another day to cover the Diamond Triangle which is about 100 km away.
Last but not the least one must not forget to visit the Kalinga Buddha Vihara in Bhubaneswar, which is the Orissa Centre of the Maha Bodhi Society of India and meet Ven. Gnanasara Thera from Sri Lanka. In fact it may not be a surprise if he will be the only Sri Lankan you will meet during your stay in Orissa.
Buddhist Orissa deserve to be seen and appreciated. After all, it was the Chinese Buddhist Traveller Hiuen T'sang who visited Kalinga in 7th Century AD and saw more than 100 Buddhist monasteries and some excellent Learning Centres. Now it is our turn to explore the rich heritage to which Kalinga Desha bears ample testimony.
Proposals for skilful dying - 2
How the dying man - Abhinash Chowdary was reborn in a heavenly realm when his mind was religiously inclined at the few moments of his life.
I felt amused and stayed on in spite of what I was told. Suddenly I heard him muttering excitedly, "Don't tie me up and drag me!" This he repeated several times. I could not conceal myself any longer and hurried to his bedside. "What's the matter?" I asked.
"Some ghastly goblins are trying to drag me along with them," he answered.
I realised that if he died at that moment, he would go to the hellish realm. So I started to recite the suttas once again and after a pause I asked him, "Are the goblins still there?" "No," he said, "they have departed."
By that time, the long night was almost over and streaks of dawn were visible in the eastern sky. The devas were still there waiting in their chariots; this I gathered from the dying man after asking him.
Again I made a request to the devas through Mr Chowdury to leave him in exchange for the offering of merits acquired by everyone present, including myself. All, by their acclamation, approved of my suggestion.
This time, the devas relented as I could gather from the dying man, and took their departure. "Do you still see any vision?" I asked.
'Yes," he replied, "my parents are still lingering on under the bodhi tree."
This meant that the pull from the human world was very strong on him and he might be reborn in this world. Again I suggested that we all offer our accumulated merits to his departed parents in exchange for which they should take their leave as the devas had done. It appeared from the dying man's indication that his father was willing to agree to my request, but not his mother. I was upset and expressed my resentment at the maternal intransigence.
"How can this be?" I said. "Now, you tell them that as the devas have agreed to my request, it is quite improper for them not to do so. This sort of conduct on their part will cause them harm." I had to remonstrate thus several times before it produced the desired result. His parents, as I could gather from him, finally took their leave.
Now that all the visions that had appeared before the dying man were gone, a visible change came over him. He took a deep breath and showed signs of liveliness. When some of his relatives came near him with a lamp to have a close look at his improved condition, he exclaimed, "Don't worry any more!
I'm not going to die." A wave of joy and relief swept over all of us to see the dying man coming to life again.
We all felt overwhelmed by this unprecedented event which had been unfolding in a kaleidoscopic manner. It was then 5 o'clock in the morning.
A sleepless night had passed for all those present, but strangely enough, there was no sign of exhaustion shown by anyone, so absorbing and thrilling had this incident been. I then took my leave and returned to my vihara. However, our victory over death was short-lived. At about 10.30 a.m., Mr. A. C. Chowdury's brother-in-law called to inform me that after passing some five hours in an apparently good condition, he had relapsed into complete exhaustion and his end appeared to be imminent. Both of us hurried to his house, which was overflowing with crowds of curious villagers who had heard of the night's dramatic events.
I took my seat by his bedside and asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"I can't survive any longer," he gasped. I gave words of encouragement and urged him to remember the good deeds he had done in life. Occasionally I asked whether he was having any vision. Each time, the reply was "No."
It was then 11.20 a.m. and one of his relations, realising that the time for a monk's last meal of the day was drawing close, asked me to retire for my meal. I told him rather vehemently that I could not possibly leave Mr Chowdury at that stage, even to have my meal. This created a ripple of sensation among all the onlookers for they were at fever pitch to see how events would unfold.
I again asked the dying man, "Do you see any vision?" "Yes," he said, "they have come again... the devas in the chariot."
The appearance of the devas at the time when I insisted on staying by his bedside instead of retiring to take my last meal for the day intrigued me for a long time.
Later, when I sought clarification on this matter from Venerables Gnanissara Mahathera and Silalankara Mahathera, they both told me that the devas must have been waiting for me to depart to take my meal so that they could take away the dying man in my absence; but when they found that I was resolute about staying, they eventually appeared to take him away. "Bhante, the devas implore you to go back to your vihara," said the dying man. "They insist that you go back to your vihara."
"Why?" I asked myself. Could their hesitancy in taking the dying man from my presence be due to their obligation to me for having taken the five precepts and listened to the suttas from me? The plausibility of this explanation was confirmed by both the Venerable Mahatheras when I related the incident to them later on.
As I felt his death was imminent, I asked him to tell the devas, "They can take you away in my presence. I have no objection to their doing so. I give you permission to leave us most gladly."
I did this because he was going to the region of the devas to which he was entitled by virtue of his merits and which I sincerely wished for. I next asked his elder brother, wife and daughter to bid him their final farewell, which they all gladly did.
The stage was now set for his departure for the next world. His face was bright and full of beatitude as he took his leave from us by uttering his last words, "I am going now." Then I placed my hand on his chest. I felt that it was still quite warm. The dying man, as I could gather, was still conscious, and seemed to be muttering to himself the devotional phrases that he had recited throughout his life.
He then lifted his right hand with great effort and moved it in a way that seemed to indicate that he was reaching out for something. I could not make out what he wanted until someone from the crowd suggested, "Bhante, maybe he's trying to touch your feet, as he did last night."
I moved my right foot into contact with his outstretched hand. The contact seemed to have caused great satisfaction as could be seen from the expression on his face. He bent his arm, touched his forehead with that hand, and then placed his arm straight by his side.
I felt the warmth in his chest gradually decreasing and within a minute or two, his body suddenly jerked and there was a last gasp before it became still and lifeless. When his chest felt quite cool, I withdrew my hand and looked around. No one wept, nor were there any sounds of lamentation coming from any quarter; everyone was either sitting or standing quite calmly.
This was a fitting, final farewell to a dying man, quite in conformity with the instructions I had given to Buddhist devotees in the course of my Dhamma talks. In the above account, we may observe that the visions perceived by the dying man changed according to his state of mind.
Favourable visions, e.g. the bodhi tree and the celestial chariot, appeared when his mind was religiously inclined, while unfavourable visions, e.g., the hairy creature, black pigeons and fearsome demons, were perceived when his thoughts turned worldly or were agitated.
Another observation is that the recital of the suttas drove away his worldly thoughts and consequently the inauspicious apparitions, and the taking of the five precepts resulted in the appearance of the devas till finally, after a few setbacks which were commendably overcome by the compassionate and skilful intervention of Venerable Rastrapal Bhikkhu, the way was paved for the dying man to be reborn in a heavenly realm.
Besides doing as many good deeds as possible to increase the probability of a good rebirth, perhaps the best thing to do to prepare for a good death is to practise vipassana meditation because it helps one to let go of everything-all attachments, fears, regrets, anger, hatred.
If only Venerable Tissa had noted his attachment, and Queen Mallika, her remorse with vipassana mindfulness just before death, neither would have had to endure a week of suffering, but both would have proceeded straight to heaven like the bhikkhu who meditated right through into devaland.
Furthermore, if the last few crucial moments of consciousness before death are involved in observing physical or mental phenomena in terms of impermanence, suffering and non-self, then the object of the rebirth-linking and bhavanga cittas of the next existence will also be a vipassana object.
This means that the being of the next existence will be three-rooted and power-packed with the potential for speedy enlightenment.
May we all endeavour to live a pious, virtuous and meditative life, thereby increasing the probability of a good rebirth, and consolidating the possibility of a speedy enlightenment.
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