Bhubaneswar with its modern buildings and extensive infrastructure perfectly complements its historic surroundings. With facilities to cater to every type of visitor the capital city of Odisha makes an ideal tourist destination
Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha , is also popularly known as the ‘Temple City of India’. Being the seat of Tribhubaneswar or ‘Lord Lingaraj’, Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. Hundreds of temples dot the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more than 2000 temples. Bhubaneswar is the place where temple building activities of Odishan style flowered from its very inception to its fullest culmination extending over a period of over one thousand years.
Some of the other important temples in Bhubaneswar are:
Lingaraja Temple: The great Lingaraja (eleventh century), which soars above the city of Bhubaneswar and dominates the landscape as far as 15 kms away, represents Odishan temple architecture at its most mature and fully developed stage. It has been described as ‘time quintessence of Odishan architecture’. Although the temple as it now exists can be dated to the eleventh century, Sanskrit texts hold that there was a stone temple here as early as the seventh century AD, and fragments of this earlier structure do seem to appear in the extant
building.
Mukteswara Temple: The small and elegant Mukteswara temple (AD 950) is often referred to as the ‘miniature gem of Odishan architecture’. The frequency with which the term ‘gem’ is employed will be immediately appreciated with the very first glimpse of this delicate, refined little structure. In addition to its beauty, the temple is important as a transition point between the early and later phases of the Kalinga school of temple architecture. The builder has successfully combined many elements of the old with new designs and conceptions. Many of the innovations took root, and became essential features of all later temples. Because of this, one scholar has described the Mukteswara as ‘harbinger of the new culture’.
Parsurameswara Temple: The Parsurameswara (650 AD) is the earliest temple still standing in Bhubaneswar. The mid-seventh century date agreed on by most scholars is based on style, as well as on the eight planets which appear over the door to the inner sanctum. In later temples, there are nine. Although the Parsurameswara temple was repaired in 1903, with some ensuing changes in the roof of the inner sanctum, the structure is substantially intact in its original form. This small temple shows the early stages of development of the two main Odishan temple components: the beehive-shaped tower (generally referred to as the deul ) and the porch in front of the tower (generally called the Jagamohan).
Khandagiri and Udayagiri Caves: Just seven kms west of Bhubaneswar are the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri, the next major Odishan historical monument after Ashoka’s rock-cut edict. The rocks of the Khandagiri and Udayagiri hills were carved and tunneled, to create this multi-storied ancient apartment residence for Jain monks. They were the work of the first known Odishan ruler, King Kharavela, and probably begun in the first century BC. Kharavela was a king of the Mahameghavahana dynasty, who is known for expansion of the Kalinga empire and his installation of public improvements, such as canal systems. His queen was evidently quite a patron of the arts, and probably had much to do with the impressive sculptural decoration of the caves.
Some of the other well known temples in the capital city of Odisha are: Rajarani Temple, Vaital Temple, Taleswar Temple, and others.
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The city is also wellknown for its many parks like the Biju Patnaik Park, Buddha Jayanti Park, Gandhi Park, IG Park, etc. Boyanika, Ekamra Haat, Kalamandir, Bazar Kolkata, Utkalika are among the best shopping options. The handicrafts of the region include silver filigree, stone and wood carving, patta paintings, tie and dye textiles, bamboo basketry, brass and bell metal work and horn work. These and many other famous handicrafts of Odisha can be selected as souvenirs from the local markets. Purchases can be made from Utkalika (run by the Department of Handicrafts) or at the many privately run shops.
Approach: Bhubaneswar is well connected by air, rail and road to the rest of India. The modern Biju Patnaik Airport is being extended to receive wide bodied aircraft, and one may well see international charters landing here soon.
Accommodation: With numerous hotels as well as the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation’s Panthanivas, Bhubaneswar is well equipped to accommodate every type of visitor.
Best time to visit: Bhubaneswar can be visited round the year, but the ideal time, especially for visitors from colder climes, would be from October to March.
