[Guest Post] Road Trip To The Largest Buddhist Monastery In South Asia

The Traveloholic set out to visit the amazing Buddhist monastery located in Jirang, Eastern India and share it with us. The photographs are stunning, I can only imagine how magnificent it would be to see and feel this place in person.

The building which was completed in 2008 is 70 feet (21 m) and five stories high, and is built on 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land. It features a 23 feet (7.0 m) high Buddha statue and a 17 feet (5.2 m) Buddha Padmasambhava. 200 monks are residents in the monastery, which is named after Acharya Padmasambhava who was born in Orissa and who is believed to have spread Buddhism to Tibet in the 7th Century. (source) All the following words and photos belong to Somnath, the traveloholic. 

---

“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself” — Buddha

Buddhism which started as an off shoot of Hinduism in India, has spread across the world to become the 4th largest religion in the world. There are many Buddhist monasteries in India which preach the peaceful teachings of Buddha.

One such monastery is in Southern Odisha in Jirang. It is nearly 80-85 kms from the town of Berhampur.

So, me and two of my friends set out on a journey on our bikes to find Lord Buddha.

After travelling 50 kms from Berhampur, we reached Taptapani.

At one look it may look like your average Indian town. But there is a temple here built around a natural hot water spring which is said to possess medicinal properties. There is also a deer park maintained by the forest department.

After stopping for a while, we continued on our path.

Asking for directions, diverting off the route for few kilometers and stopping by for an occasional cup of tea we finally reached the monastery.

It is known as Padmasambhava Mahavihara monastery and was inaugurated by Dalai Lama. It is complete with the main temple complex, residential buildings, a canteen and lush gardens. For time being, I will let the pics speak for themselves.

After spending some time in the lap of Lord Buddha, we left for the next part of our trip.

There was a waterfall approximately 10-15 kms from there. There was quite a crowd there as it was a famous picnic spot. We earlier had plans to take bath but as it was getting late and cold we abandoned the plan. The place was clean and looked marvellous with thick forests in the background. It was an ideal place for clicking photos.

Overall we had a great day and the monastery was the highlight of the whole journey. Who would have thought that such a great place exists in midst of dense forests of Southern Odisha? One more proof of the fact that India never ceases to amaze us.

It is a must visit place for everyone and I guarantee that you will not regret it.