Kalinga War And Dhauli Light And Sound Show #AToZChallenge

Odisha was called Kalinga in ancient times. 

Kalinga had a thriving maritime trade with neighbouring countries. Kalinga had important ports and was an overseas power. Kalinga had established colonies in Burma, Philippines and other lands.
Kalinga witnessed wars, the most famous one being the Kalinga War.

Kalinga was not under the Mauryan empire.The war of Magadha (Mauryan Empire) with Kalinga was due to "political and economic reasons". Territorial expansion and political prestige triggered the interest of the Mauryan empire. 
The Kalinga War was fought by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC.

Kalinga was not under the Mauryan Empire before the Kalinga War; Source

Ashoka earned victory after a lot of bloodshed; one hundred thousand soldiers were killed in the battle.
The battlefield of the Kalinga War killed so many people that, it is said, the River Daya's water turned red (with blood of the slain soldiers). 
The word 'Daya' means kindness/compassion. 

How did Emperor Ashoka learn compassion? What brought about the transformation?
There is a story about the Kalinga War:
After the Kalinga War, when the jubilant Emperor was doing the rounds and found an old woman weeping, he asked her not to cry and proudly claimed that he would give her anything she wanted. 
The old woman asked him to bring her son and husband back to life.
Ashoka then realized the value of his win that couldn't fulfill wishes...

Dhauli #AToZChallenge

Dhauli hill (Dhauligiri) is located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. The hill has a famous monument- 'Peace Pagoda' or 'Shanti Stupa' atop it. As the name suggests, the 'Shanti Stupa' was built to commemorate the triumph of 'peace' and to explain the importance of non-violence.

Dhauligiri is located on the banks of the River Daya. The area was the battlefield of the Kalinga War in 261 BC. It is said that the Kalinga War caused such a lot of bloodshed that the colour of the water of River Daya turned red. The word 'Daya' means compassion. The Kalinga War reformed and transformed bloodthirsty Ashoka (Chandasok) to a peace-loving religious Ashoka (Dhammasok). 

The Shanti Stupa can be spotted from the road while travelling from Bhubaneswar to Puri or vice-versa. Dhauli was built in the 1970s by the Japan Buddha Sangha and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha.

Some rock edicts of Ashoka can be viewed on the way to the Dhauli hill summit. 

Dhauli has four great statues of Buddha in different positions. The blissful and serene ambiance delights visitors.