Pushpagiri Vihara
| Puspagiri | |
|---|---|
| ପୁଷ୍ପଗିରି | |
_-_Jajpur_-_Odisha_-_Buddhist_site_-_Rock-Cut_Stupas_-_2.JPG)
Main Stupa
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 Shown within Odisha
 Shown within Odisha
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| Basic information | |
| Location | India |
| Geographic coordinates | 20°38′30″N 86°16′09″E / 20.6416°N 86.2692°ECoordinates: 20°38′30″N 86°16′09″E / 20.6416°N 86.2692°E |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| State | Odisha |
| Country | India |
| Status | Preserved |
Pushpagiri (IAST: Puṣpagiri) was an ancient Buddhist mahavihara located atop Langudi Hills in Jajpur district of Odisha, India. The complex contains ruins of stupas, rock-cut sculptures and other artifacts.
Pushpagiri was mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (c. 602 – c. 664) and some other ancient sources. Until the 1990s, it was hypothesised to be the Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udayagiri complex, also located in Jajpur district. However, archaeological excavations conducted at Langudi Hills during 1996-2006 resulted in the discovery of another site, with inscriptions describing the local monastery as puṣpa sabhar giriya, and identified by the excavators as Pushpagiri.
The visit of Xuanzang indicates that Pushpagiri was an important Buddhist site in ancient India. Along with Nalanda, Vikramashila, Odantapuri, Takshashila and Vallabhi, it is believed to be a major ancient centre of learning. It flourished between 3rd and 11th centuries CE.
Chinese traveler Xuanzang (c. 602-644) describes a sangharama (monastery) named Pu-se-p'o-k'i-li in the south-west region of a country, whose name is variously transliterated as U-Cha or Wu-T-U. Scholars such as Stanislas Julien and Samuel Beal restored Pu-se-po-k'i-li as "Pushpagiri", and name of the country as Ota or "Udra". Scholars identify this country as Odra in present-day Odisha. Xuanzang describes the monastery as follows:
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