About 120 Buddhist scholars from around the world will meet at a three-day International Buddhist conference at Udayagiri in Jajpur district from February 1.

"The Odisha culture and tourism department will organize the conference to attract more tourists and researchers to the Buddhist sites of the state," Dr Sunil Patnaik, the secretary of Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies, said on Sunday, pointing out that this would be the first such conference in the state. 

All delegates will visit the famous Buddhist sites of Udayagiri, Ratnagiri, Lalitagiri, Langudi, Kaima and other places of Jajpur district during their three-day stay. "We have sought the help of the district administration and the locals for their support to the conclave. Many Buddhist scholars from India and abroad are unaware of the rich Buddhist heritage of our state and this conference will help them know more about them," Patnaik, who, along with some officials visited Udayagiri, said.

The Udayagiri monastery, which is flanked by a U-shaped hill, almost identical to Ratnagiri, was excavated in 1986. The monastery is located 10 km from Lalitagiri, on the other side of the Birupa river and forms a golden triangle of Buddhist monuments with Ratnagiri and Lalitagiri.

Significantly, the gateway to Udayagiri was found in a perfect state of preservation. It consists of two stone slabs, supporting a third as a lintel. The pillars are perpendicular and the screen has an ornamented sculpture and the architectural style in chaste and pure.

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