After Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana

[Full title: Political and Religious History of Orissa (2): After Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana]

The famous Buddhist texts like Buddhavamsa, Mahaparinirvanasutta and the Dathadhatuvamsa refers to Kalinga, according to them a Buddhist monk named Khema carried Buddha’s tooth relic to the far away Kalinga and handed it over to the king of Kalinga, Brahmadatta.

The Dathavamsa further mentions, “the king made a temple for the tooth-relic, which was adorned with garland of pearls, bedecked with gold, surrounded by the Kutagaras (pinnacle house), which was vehicle to heaven and nirvana and which brought about pleasure, and he made a stool for the relic as bright as gems. Thus, Brahamadutta placed the tooth-relic on the stool inside the newly built chaitya and started worshipping it day and night. Along with him, other kings of Kalinga also started worshipping as a result the place grew prosperously. This episode probably took place during the rule of Asoka after the conquest of Kalinga (Dash 1992:13-17). The monumental chaitya, which is believed to have been worshipped by Brahamadatta and his successors namely Kasiraja, Sunanda & Guhasiva (Fifth century BCE to third Century CE), has to be archaeologically proven.

Some scholars identify this Dantapura or Dantapuri of ancient times with present Puri. Tradition proclaims that the holy relic of Buddha was preserved in the Navipadma of Jagannath (Law 1930:327). From other literary sources it is known that at least three relics of the Lord were brought to Orissa in different periods i.e. hair (kesasti), nail (Nakhasti) and tooth (Dantasti). The finds from Lalitgiri of the relics probably of the Lord as believed by the excavator (Chauley 2004:25-30) strengthens the historicity of the Datthavamsa and confirms the claims of historians that Buddhism in Orissa was known during the life time of the Buddha.