Jajpur sits in the middle of one of India's richest Buddhist archaeological zones — the "Diamond Triangle" of Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udayagiri, all within an hour's drive south of town. The three excavated mahaviharas preserve stupas, monastery courtyards, carved gateways and hilltop sculptures from the centuries when this was a stronghold of Tantric Buddhism in eastern India.
Udayagiri is the largest of the three, with two separate monastery complexes a few kilometres apart and a famous stepped well; Ratnagiri is the most extensively excavated and has an excellent little site museum. You can comfortably cover two of the three in a single day with a hired car — Lalitgiri sits closest to the highway and is the easiest to add as a third stop.
