Bhubaneswar, Jan 15 (PTI) The hills of Udaygiri and Ratnagiri in Odisha's Jajpur district continue to reverberate with the chants of 'Buddham Saranam Gacchami' (I take refuge in the Buddha) as over 1,000 monks and followers gather to pray for world peace in memory of Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche.

The five day event, organised by Light of Buddha Dharma Foundation (LBDF) and Odisha government and locally assisted by Udaygiri Buddha Mahotsav Committee, is being attended by 1,382 Buddhist monks from 17 countries such as the US, Italy, Indonesia, India, Bhutan, Nepal, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Manmyar and others, LBDF director Ranjan Kumar said.

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Sikkim minister Ven Sonam Lama inaugurated the conference on January 12 while Jajpur MP Rabindra Narayan Behera, Barchana MLA Amar Nayak and others participated in the event. Odia language literature & culture minister Suryabanshi Suraj attended the event on Wednesday.

The programme started with a colourful procession from Udaygiri Square to the Buddhist monastery. Udaygiri was chosen as the venue because it is believed that Guru Padmasambhava attained "nirvana" there, and Lord Buddha is said to have spent part of his life in the region.

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Guru Padmasambhava, an Indian Buddhist mystic, is credited with introducing Tantric Buddhism to Tibet and is revered as the second Buddha. He is believed to have died in Udaygiri.

Udaygiri, Lalitgiri, and Ratnagiri are collectively known as the Buddhist Golden Triangle in Odisha, and local Buddhists are advocating for the region to be granted World Heritage status.

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