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The rock
outcropping on Dhauli hill at the bank of the river Daya, is a little away from the main
road as one drives 8 km south of Bhubaneswar. It is the site of a set of rock edicts left
by the Indian emperor Ashoka in about 260 BC.
 The
Odishan edicts, consisting of two special edicts not found
elsewhere, are essentially public injunctions to the empire's administrators in the area,
enjoining them to rule with gentleness and justice:
'...these are my instructions to you. You are in charge of many thousands of living
beings. You should gain the affection of men. All men are my children, and as I desire for
my children that they should obtain welfare and happiness both in this world and the next,
the same do I desire for all men...'
The elephant which emerges from the rock above the inscription was probably meant to draw
attention to the edict, and to serve as a symbol. Elephants are frequently associated with
the Buddha, either as the form in which he is believed to have entered his mother's womb,
as the form the Buddha assumed in a previous incarnation, or as the sacred symbol of
Buddhism itself.
 The serenity of the place and the legacy of Buddhism motivated
the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha, under the guidance of Guruji Fujii, Founder President of
Nipponzan Myohoji of Japan to establish a Peace Pagoda or Shanti Stupa at Dhauli
along with the construction of the monastery called Saddharma Vihar in early seventies of
19th century. Along with the Ashokan Edicts, the Peace Pagoda and modern Buddhist
Monastery, Dhauli offers the visitors small-rock cut caves, Hindu temples of early
medieval period and a renovated Siva temple known as Dhavalesvara on top of the hill are
added attractions.
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