Meeting Wangmo Dixey in Bodh Gaya
The lobby of the Hyatt Place in Bodh Gaya hums with the quiet intensity of pilgrims and monks, their maroon robes a stark contrast against the hotel’s modern glass and steel. It was here, just steps from the very Bodhi tree where Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, that I met Wangmo Dixey. She is the executive director of the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation International (LBDFI), and the force behind one of the most ambitious Buddhist revivals in modern India.
We became instant friends. Dixey spoke with a calm, singsong lilt, her eyes sparkled as the butter lamps flickering in the nearby temples. Over the course of our interview, she shared with me a vision that is nothing short of divine: the third annual Padmasambhava Monlam—a great prayer gathering honouring Guru Rinpoche, the “Second Buddha”—to be held in Odisha’s Diamond Triangle.
In order to understand the significance of this Monlam, one must first understand the land that hosts it.
The Diamond Triangle: A tantric crucible
The Diamond Triangle (comprising the tantric complexes of Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, and Lalitgiri) forms one of South Asia’s most important Buddhist archaeological corridors. Nestled in Odisha’s Jaipur and Cuttack districts, about one hundred kilometers from Bhubaneswar, these three hilltop complexes once housed monumental mahaviharas, votive stupas, and monastic universities that connected Odisha to Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Bodh Gaya.
Ratnagiri, the “Hill of Jewels,” flourished from roughly the fifth to the twelfth centuries CE as a powerhouse of esoteric Buddhism, its sculptures dense with tantric imagery: multiple forms of Tara, Vajravarahi, and intricate mandalas carved in stone. Lalitgiri yielded relic caskets that some scholars believe may contain sacred remains of the Buddha himself. Udayagiri, the largest of the three complexes, housed expansive monasteries that once echoed with debate and ritual. Together, these sites suggest not a peripheral outpost, but a thriving intellectual crucible where tantric Buddhism matured.
The name “Diamond Triangle” itself evokes Vajrayana, the Diamond Vehicle of Buddhism. And it is within this geography that Odisha stakes its most profound claim: that this is none other than ancient Oddiyana, the legendary birthplace of Guru Padmasambhava.
The terrestrial heaven of the Lotus-Born
The word Oddiyana (also spelled Uddiyana) derives from the Sanskrit Uddayana, meaning “the royal garden” or “orchard.” It was also called “the paradise of the dakinis,” renowned for its unique sisterhood of priestesses. Later Tibetan traditions view Oddiyana as a beyul, a legendary heavenly place inaccessible to ordinary mortals.
But what if the heavenly place is not inaccessible? What if it is right here in India; specifically in the red-earth hills of Odisha?
Archaeological and historical evidence increasingly points to eastern India, specifically the region of ancient Kalinga, now Odisha, as the true location of Oddiyana. Some researchers argue that references to Oddiyana in Tibetan sources may not point to the Swat Valley in Pakistan, as often assumed, but to an eastern Indian milieu shaped by maritime trade, tantric experimentation and royal patronage. Stone inscriptions from early historic Andhra and Odisha attest to monks who travelled widely, disseminating doctrine across maritime and overland routes.
If the Diamond Triangle is indeed Oddiyana, then the implications are staggering. Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava the Lotus-Born, is revered across the Himalayas as the “Second Buddha,” the master who brought Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet. His pure land, known as Zangdok Pelri—the Copper-Colored Mountain—is described in the Seven Line Prayer as a realm of rainbow light and celestial splendour. What if Oddiyana is on earth, then the Diamond Triangle is not merely a historical site. It is Zangdok Pelri’s terrestrial counterpart, a living Vajrayana heaven on Indian soil.
The birthplace: A lotus on a copper-colored hill
Tibetan narratives describe Padmasambhava’s birthplace as a miraculous manifestation: a lotus flower blooming on a lake in the land of Oddiyana, from which the infant master emerged fully formed. Cited in Bhutanese bardo texts as one of the three terrestrial heaven on earth, the others are Avalokiteshvara’s Potala and Manjushri’s Wutaishan. The location of the lotus-lake has been disputed for centuries, but Odisha’s champions point to a compelling detail: the hills of the Diamond Triangle are copper-colored. This is no coincidence. The Copper-Colored Mountain is understood to be the current abode of Padmasambhava. If the land itself bears the color of his pure land, could it not also be his birthplace?
Some researchers and monks have traced Padmasambhava’s origins to the Sonepur region of Odisha, where the landscape and local traditions align with descriptions found in ancient texts. Scholar Prabir Kumar Pattanaik has written that he belongs to Indian and hails from Uddiyana, and so he is popularly known as “Uddiyana Guru.”
The tantric center: Where his name is written in stone
From his miraculous birth, Padmasambhava is said to have travelled across the Indian subcontinent, studying and teaching tantric Buddhism. The Diamond Triangle, with its flourishing mahaviharas, was an ideal crucible for such teachings. By the seventh and eighth centuries CE, Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri were established centers of Vajrayana practice.
Now the evidence becomes tangible. At the entrance of Udayagiri, an inscription was found on the back of an Avalokiteshvara statue. The inscription, deciphered by scholars, reveals that Guru Padmasambhava once was revered by the local king. There are speculations that his bodily remains were preserved in a casket in is located around Udayagiri. This is extraordinary. Across the Buddhist world, there are countless sites with footprints and handprints attributed to Padmasambhava. But nowhere else is there an inscription bearing his name, confirming his physical presence acknowledged by a historic figure.
The return: Bringing Tibetan tantra home
In 747 CE, at the invitation of King Trisong Detsen, Guru Padmasambhava travelled to Tibet along with his consort Mandarava. There, he banished demons, established the first Buddhist monastery at Samye, and taught the tantric practices that would become the foundation of the Nyingma school. For centuries, it was assumed that he never returned to India.
However, the inscription at Udayagiri tells a different story. It suggests that after his work in Tibet, Padmasambhava returned to his homeland: not to the Swat Valley, but to the Diamond Triangle of Odisha. He came back bearing an evolved form of tantric Buddhism, infused with the Tibetan traditions he had helped create. He taught, meditated, and finally attained Mahaparinirvana at Udayagiri.
“Udayagiri was chosen as the venue because it is believed that Guru Padmasambhava attained Nirvana there,” said Ranjan Kumar, chief organiser of the Padmasambhava Monlam. The master had come full circle: born in the land of the copper-colored hills, he had spread the Dharma to the Roof of the World, and then returned to his earthly home to complete his journey.
The third Padmasambhava Monlam: Dixey’s vision
As Wangmo Dixey speaks, her vision becomes clear. The first two Padmasambhava Monlams at the Diamond Triangle have already drawn nearly two thousand Buddhist monks from seventeen countries—representing Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana traditions—united in prayer and reflection. The third Monlam, which she is now planning, will be even grander.
“Three years ago, by request of my father, we brought Padmasambhava prayers to this place. Incredible stupas engraved with vajras went back to seventh century, images of Tara, Manjushri, Zambhala, and others everywhere. This sacred place is absolutely tantric; Padmasambhava spent time here and practised tantra,” she tells me excitedly.
The LBDFI, which was founded by her father Tarthang Tulku, is devoted to the revival and preservation of Buddhist culture and heritage in India. For Dixey, the Diamond Triangle goes beyond being a mere archeological site. It is a living pilgrimage destination, a place where the Dharma can be reawakened in its land of origin.
The 3rd Guru Padmasambhava Monlam will take place from 28 December 2026 to 5 January 2027. It will feature daily Guru Rinpoche prayers, teachings based on Padmasambhava, and a gathering of monks, lamas, khenpos, Rinpoches, scholars, and devotees from across the globe. It will be, as Wangmo envisions, a reaffirmation of India’s enduring spiritual tradition of compassion, unity and hope for a more peaceful world.
The seven-line prayer’s promise
As our interview draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the Seven Line Prayer to Guru Padmasambhava, the invocation that has been chanted by millions of practitioners across the Himalayas for over a millennium. Its final lines describe his pure land, Zangdok Pelri:
On the northwest border of the land of Oddiyana,
In the heart of a lotus flower,
Endowed with the most marvellous attainments,
You are renowned as the Lotus-Born.
Surrounded by many dakinis,
You are practising the supreme path.
I pray that you come and grant your blessings.
Guru Padmasambhava, please come.
If the Diamond Triangle is indeed Oddiyana, if the copper-colored hills of Odisha are the terrestrial reflection of Zangdok Pelri, then the prayer is not a distant invocation. It is a homecoming. As Wangmo Dixey and the LBDFI prepare for the third Padmasambhava Monlam, the Lotus-Born is, quite literally, coming home.
Related features from BDG
The Unfinished Enlightenment: How India Is Reclaiming Its Buddhist Soul—An Interview with Dr. Richard Dixey
When the Buddha Became Time: The Third Turning of the Wheel
Related blog posts from BDG’s Tea House
Call of the Vajra: An Invitation to the Third Guru Rinpoche Monlam at Udayagiri
