Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Shanti Stupa on top of the Dhauli hill in Bhubaneswar has completed 50 years of existence today. The magnificent white-domed Buddhist monument was constructed back in 1973 by the Kalinga Nippon Budha Sangha to commemorate the transition of Emperor Ashoka from a violent tyrant to a peaceful ruler.
Notably, the site in which the modern-day Peace Pagoda is situated represents the legacy of “The Kalinga War” which occurred back in 261 B.C. The brutal war which concluded on the Daya river banks is often referred to as the turning point of fierce Mauryan Emperor Ashoka’s life. The war changed the total course of the emperor’s life by transforming him into a peace-loving individual, who adopted the path of Buddhism.
