Oddiyana

Oddiyana, also Uddiyana, was a historical region which is considered important in the development and spread of Vajrayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, it is viewed as a Beyul, a legendary heavenly place.^[1][2][3][4]

Padmasambhava, an eighth-century Buddhist master and founder of the Nyingma school, is believed to be born in Oddiyana. He had a crucial role in introducing Buddhism to Tibet. Siddha Garab Dorje, the founder of Dzogchen school, is also associated with this region.^[5] Oddiyana. Oddiyana was also known as “the paradise of the Ḍākinīs" in some traditions.^[6][7]

1. ↑ Joshi, Lal Mani (1977). Studies in the Buddhistic Culture of India During the 7th and 8th Centuries A.D. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0281-0.
2. ↑ ‘Uḍḍiyāna and Kashmir’, pp 265-269 ‘The Śaiva Exegesis of Kashmir’, in Mélanges tantriques à la mémoire d’Hélène Brunner. Tantric Studies in Memory of Hélène Brunner, Collection Indologie 106, EFEO, Institut français de Pondichéry (IFP), ed. Dominic Goodall and André Padoux, 2007.)
3. ↑ "Uddiyana". Swat. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
4. ↑ Morgan, Llewelyn; Oliveri, Luca Maria (2022-06-02). The View from Malakand: Harold Deane's 'Note on Udyana and Gandhara'. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-80327-208-5.
5. ↑ Keown, Damien; Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003). A dictionary of Buddhism (1. publ ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860560-7.
6. ↑ Wedemeyer, Christian K. (2014-05-06). Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism: History, Semiology, and Transgression in the Indian Traditions. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-16241-8.
7. ↑ Shah, Bipin. "Ancient Uddayana-the land of Buddha at Rajgriha, prior to establishment of Patliputra in Ganges Doab". Research gate. Research gate. Retrieved 3 February 2021.