Dhauli Heritage Walk with Sanatan

Dhauli Hill, located about 8 km south of Bhubaneswar, is a site of historical and spiritual importance, known for the Kalinga War in 261 BCE that led to Emperor Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism. The Ashokan Rock Edicts at Dhauli are crucial archaeological records, carved into a rock at the foot of the hill, indicating Ashoka's shift to righteousness and featuring the oldest stone sculpture in India, an elephant symbolizing the birth of Buddha. The inscriptions, written in Magadhi Prakrit with Brahmi script, express Ashoka's remorse for the war with a paternal message to his subjects. The Dhauli Shanti Stupa, built in the 1970s by the Japan and Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha, features a white dome with golden Buddha statues and stone panels depicting Buddha's life and Ashoka's conversion.