This Article First Appeared In The Print On May 11, 2023
It is strange that the history of Odisha takes up so little space in our understanding of our past. In the medieval period, it was one of the subcontinent’s greatest religious centres, participating in circulatory systems that stretched from Tibet to Indonesia and China. The monastic centre of Ratnagiri, about 80 km from Bhubaneshwar, reveals much of its fascinating Buddhist history: from kings copying out Buddhist manuscripts to clay seals used to “print” mantras and even tantric sexual rites – but not in the way you might expect.