A Study on Buddhist Heritage Sites in Odisha - A Marketing Approach

Tourism is the best way to bridge the gap between places & people. The basic purpose of Tourism & Buddhism is to bring people together & make them happy & peaceful. In Odisha, Buddhism appears to be  as old as the religion itself. Buddhism has become the bonding of  the newly crop up relegion. Odisha has taken a very vital role in changing  spiritual experience of  Buddhism from a domestic religion of north India to an Universal  religion. The transformation of unruly Emperor Ashoka from Chandashoka to Dharmashoka took place at Dhauli  after his embracing to  Buddhism. During  the last twenty or thirty years, numbers of Buddhist sites were explored in various spots of the country and many of them were excavated in Odisha because of  huge buddhist settlments were found. The leading excavated spots of Buddhist settlement included Langudi, Udaygiri, Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Aragad,  Radhanagar,  etc.. All these  sites  present a scenic landscape, serene monumental remains, sculptures, Stupas, Monasteries, Chaityas and sublime metaphors (Buddha & Boddhisattava)  that tells the story of  Odisha’s glorious  life  culture of the past. The rich Buddhist heritage came into limelight only during the last thirty years when the excavation initiated. On the contrary, other states of India had excavated & marketed Buddhist sites much earlier & much before, as a result of which they were drawing  more tourists. The main objective of this paper  is to ensure  promotion of  the Buddhist heritage sites of Odisha as of historical importance  inside  & outside the country & also to identify the strengths & weakness of the Diamond Triangle of Odisha as a destination. The data was collected from a sample of  300 tourists visiting various Buddhist heritage sites in  Odisha and a feedback was taken with the help of a detailed questionnaire,    regarding various aspects of  heritage sites.  The main motto is to focus on  the rich Buddhist heritage sites  through scholastic deliberations and discussions inviting research scholars, academicians, Travel Agents,  historians, Tour Operators, Media  from within & outside India to promote this glorious chapter of Odisha’s history, which the researcher has tried to explore through this paper.