In ancient India, where empires rose and fell amid clashes of kings and ideas, two humble merchants from the eastern coastal kingdom of Kalinga stand out as quiet revolutionaries. Tapassu and Bhallika, wealthy traders- not kings or monks ignited the spark of Buddhism in our homeland through a simple act of generosity, long before any ruler embraced this mighty faith. Their story, drawn from ancient Pali texts and supported by archaeological discoveries, shows how ordinary individuals can seed profound spiritual movements. As the children of modern Odisha rediscover their Buddhist roots, this legacy reminds us that faith often travels not on royal decrees, but on the devotion of humble followers.
The tale begins in the 6th to 5th century BCE, shortly after Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. According to the Vinaya Pitaka’s Mahavagga and the Anguttara Nikaya, the core texts of the Pali canon, Tapassu and Bhallika were prosperous merchants from Ukkala, a region historians identify with ancient Utkala or Kalinga, encompassing much of present day Odisha on India’s east coast. Leading a caravan of 500 carts laden with merchandise, they were traveling through the Gangetic plains when, in some accounts, a spirit of a departed relative guided them to the Buddha.
It was the eighth week after enlightenment, beneath the Rajayatana tree. The Buddha, still frail from weeks of fasting and intense meditation, appeared weary. Moved by his serene aura, the merchants offered him milk-rice cakes and honey, his first solid meal since awakening. This act of sustenance was more than charity; it symbolized the meeting of worldly life and spiritual pursuit. In gratitude, the Buddha accepted their offering, forging an immediate bond. Deeply inspired by his teachings on suffering, impermanence, and the path to liberation, Tapassu and Bhallika requested a token to honor him during their travels.
The Buddha, stroking his head, bestowed upon them eight strands of his hair and nail parings in variant narratives, as sacred relics, the first from the living Buddha, tangible emblems of his compassion. The merchants took refuge in the Buddha and the Dhamma, uttering the earliest recorded lay disciple formula: “We go for refuge to the Blessed One and to the Dhamma.” At that time, the Sangha had not yet been established. The Buddha later affirmed their status as his foremost lay disciples (upasakas) in the Anguttara Nikaya, elevating them above countless others.
Returning to Ukkala/ Kalinga, the brothers enshrined these hair relics in stupas, the simple mound-like structures for veneration. This act marked the dawn of relic worship in Buddhism, a practice that would become central to the faith’s global spread. By building these shrines, Tapassu and Bhallika introduced the Buddha’s teachings to eastern India through lay devotion rather than monastic missions. Although textual records show the Buddha himself never visited Kalinga; his travels were largely confined to the northern plains, their initiative bridged the geographical gap, planting seeds of compassion in a region renowned for its maritime power and cultural vibrancy.
Archaeological evidence unearthed in recent decades anchors this narrative in Odisha’s soil. In 2005, excavations at Tarapur village in Jajpur district, conducted under the Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies, with ASI involvement in deciphering revealed square stupas built from laterite blocks and burnt bricks, potentially dating to early historic periods. Key Brahmi inscriptions on pillars, deciphered by epigraphists including J. Jayprakash of the Archaeological Survey of India, read “Kesa Thupa” (Hair Relic Stupa) and “Bhikku Tapusa Danam”/ “Bheku Tapusa Danam” (gift/ donation of monk Tapusa), explicitly linking the site to Tapassu. Nearby Deuli Hill features similar references, such as “Bhallika lena,” associating Bhallika with rock-cut caves for meditation. These findings, including ritual pottery and structural remnants, support early Buddhist worship in the region and are among the oldest of their kind.
Scholars emphasize that Ukkala aligns with Odisha’s east coast, dismissing later competing claims from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Burma (Myanmar), which emerged centuries after and lack early textual or archaeological support. Long-distance trade from those regions in the 5th century BCE would have been improbable given perilous overland routes and underdeveloped maritime links at the time. The Tarapur site’s Brahmi inscriptions (from around the 2nd century BCE or earlier contexts) predate those foreign legends, solidifying Tapassu and Bhallika as natives of Kalinga.
Their contributions extended beyond personal piety. As traders from a commerce-rich kingdom, they exemplified how Buddhism appealed to merchants, whose networks along ancient routes, connecting Kalinga to Magadha and ports such as Tamralipti, Pipli, Balasore, and Dhamra facilitated the faith’s dissemination. Kalinga’s coastal position made it a hub for cultural exchange, spreading Buddhist ideas to Southeast Asia via maritime trade. The 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang referenced similar relic sites, underscoring the story’s cross-cultural resonance.
For Kalinga itself, Tapassu and Bhallika brought early glory, positioning the region as a cradle of authentic Buddhist tradition. Their relic enshrinement fostered pilgrimage and lay practice, laying the groundwork for Buddhism’s flourishing under later dynasties. Centuries before Ashoka’s 261 BCE conquest of Kalinga (and his subsequent edicts and stupas), the merchants had already embedded the Dhamma in local soil, providing indigenous roots that counter views of Buddhism as merely a post-war import.
In a broader context, their legacy highlights Buddhism’s egalitarian ethos: enlightenment accessible to all, not just ascetics. As lay followers, they modeled ethical living amid commerce, generosity, mindfulness, and non-violence, values that enriched Kalinga’s militant yet culturally dynamic society.
In essence, these two merchants from ancient Kalinga not only became Buddhism’s inaugural lay followers but also catalysed its early presence in eastern India, ensuring the faith’s roots in Odisha ran deep long before imperial patronage amplified it. Their story echoes through millennia, glorifying a region and shaping a global religion.
Bishnupada Sethi, IAS
The author serves as the Chairman of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) and continues as the Chief Administrator of the KBK districts. [Views are personal.]
