Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri, the Hill of Jewels, was an important Buddhist monastic centre in the hills of coastal Odisha. Its great monasteries stood among stupas, shrines and sculpted images of the Buddha and other sacred figures. The richly carved entrance of the principal monastery led into a courtyard surrounded by monastic cells. Together with nearby Lalitgiri and Udayagiri, Ratnagiri formed part of a remarkable concentration of Buddhist foundations.

Ratnagiri flourished over many centuries and became associated with the development of Vajrayana Buddhism. Monks and patrons added numerous small votive stupas to the sacred complex, leaving a landscape crowded with offerings in stone and brick. By the end of the thirteenth century the monastery was in decline and new construction ceased. Its buildings and sculptures nevertheless preserve evidence of the community that once gathered on this hill.