Beauty Of Odisha

Padma Sambhav Mahabihar is a Buddhist monastery situated at Jirang, Odisha. Jirang is a small place located near Chandragiri in Gajapati district in South Odisha. It is the largest Buddhist monastery in Southeast Asia. Jirang is nearer to Berhampur city which is the largest city of south Odisha. Jirang is 128 kilometres distance by road from Berhampur. The best road is through Digapahandi and Mohana. It is a hill area and has no rail connectivity. You can go there by bus or by car. Berhampur is a nice city and you can get public transport to Jirang from here. Berhampur has also largest railway station in south Odisha. So you can come there by rail then choose public transport bus or car. The road connecting from Berhampur to Jirang is state highway which passes through Eastern Ghats. So you can enjoy the deep forest and beautiful sceneries when you are passing through it. It took around three to four hours to reach Jirang from Berhampur.

Padma Sambhav mahabihar at Jirang is Tibetan Buddhist monastery. It is named after Acharya Padma Sambhav who is from ancient Odisha who spread Buddhist religion to Tibet in Seventh century. Jirang is also known as mini Tibet because in 1963, about 600 Tibetans refugee flew to Chandragiri which is a fertile valley in eastern Ghats. After Chinese invasion on Tibet in 1959 many refugees flew to India including Dalai Lama. So you find Tibetans culture there. Jirang monastery's foundation was done on 2003 and in 2008 the construction was completed with total expenditure of 8 crores. Many artist from Tibet,Nepal and Bhutan participate in it. It is inaugurated by Dalai Lama in January 2010. The monastery is spread in 10 acres area. The monastery is 70 feet high and the lord Buddha statue present in it is 17 feet high. There is a large statue of Acharya Padma sambhav at left side of Lord Buddha and Buddhist idol Avalokiteswar at the right side.

In the monastery you can find many religious painting of Buddhism. Around 200 Buddhist monks are living the monastery belongs to all age group. The monastery is located near a hill which looks like a sleeping elephant. According to the monks it is the symbol of learning or you can say the monastery is built where the particular sign is present. The monastery is surrounded by many hills and full of greenery and peace. There are many Tibetans refugees living near monastery or the whole Tibetan community was living there from early 60's. The monastery has also their own guest house called Ripa house. The guest house has total 5 rooms. It costs very low as Rs. 500 per room and the total money is donated to the monastery. Jirang is a very peaceful place and you can find the living style of Tibetans. There is no hotel facility for food at Jirang . For food you have to come to Chandragiri. If you want to stay there then there is a small shop near monastery called "Amma shop", she can prepare food for you on order. She is a Tibetan women and prepares Tibetan food. It is very tasty. There is a natural waterfall present at Khasada village which is 6 km distance from Jirang . It is also a major attraction of the place. If you are a lover of peace and greenery then you must like Jirang. It is a combination of enjoying Tibetan culture and Buddhism.