Dhauli is a low hill above the Daya river about 8 km south of Bhubaneswar. The plain below is traditionally identified with the aftermath of the Kalinga War of around 261 BCE — the war whose slaughter led the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to renounce conquest and embrace Buddhism.
At the foot of the hill, a rock face carries a set of Ashoka’s edicts, including the special Kalinga edicts addressed to the people and officials of the conquered region, with an elephant carved emerging from the rock above them. On the summit stands the white Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda), built in the early 1970s with Japanese Buddhist support.
Top things to do at Dhauli & the Shanti Stupa
Read Ashoka’s edicts
The inscription is in Brahmi script and Prakrit; a board beside it gives a translation of the key passages, including Ashoka’s famous line that "all men are my children".
Climb to the Peace Pagoda
The stupa’s panels show scenes from the Buddha’s life, and the terrace looks out over the Daya river and paddy fields — the view that frames the whole story.
Stay for sunset (and the show)
Dhauli is lovely in the late afternoon. A light-and-sound show about the Kalinga War has been staged here in the evenings; check locally whether it is running.
How to get to Dhauli & the Shanti Stupa
- Location: 8 km south of the city on the road towards Puri; turn off at Dhauli chhak.
- By auto or cab: 25–30 minutes from the Old Town. There is no convenient public transport to the top.
- On a tour: included in the temples, caves and Dhauli tour, and easy to add to a Puri or Konark day.
Insider tips
- Free to visit; open from morning until evening.
- The edicts are at the base of the hill, the pagoda at the top — ask your driver to stop at both.
- Remove shoes on the stupa’s upper terrace.
Best tours & tickets for Dhauli & the Shanti Stupa
These experiences are the easiest way to see Dhauli & the Shanti Stupa with a guide and transport sorted:
City tour from US$102 Mystical Bhubaneswar: Temples, Caves and Dhauli Hills Tour
Everything inside the city limits in one well-paced day: the Old Town temples, the rock-cut Jain monasteries on Udayagiri and Khandagiri hills, and the white peace pagoda at Dhauli above the battlefield of the Kalinga War. Hotel pickup included.
- Lingaraj, Mukteswar and Rajarani temples
- The 2,000-year-old Jain caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri
- Dhauli Shanti Stupa and the Ashokan rock edict
Private day trip from US$133 Bhubaneswar: Konark and Bhubaneswar Private Day Trip
The best single day you can plan here: the great Kalinga temples of Bhubaneswar in the cooler morning, then the drive to Konark for the Sun Temple’s carved wheels and horses. A private car and guide means you set the pace — and the reviews so far are uniformly excellent.
- Bhubaneswar’s Old Town temples with a guide
- The UNESCO-listed Sun Temple at Konark
- Private car with hotel pickup
