AROUND BHUBANESHWAR:

• “The Lord of the Universe” is studded with hundreds of temples.
• The “Temple City” or the “Cathedral City” of India.
• Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj' is an important Hindu pilgrimage center.
• Hundreds of temples dot the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more than 2000 temples.
• Ancient capital of the Kalinga Empire is today the modern capital of Orissa.
• Bhubaneswar makes an ideal tourist Destination.

 

MODE OF COMMUNICATION:

• Airport : Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI), 5 kms distance from Bhubaneswar City Center.
• Rail : Bhubaneswar Railway Station, 2 kms distance from Bhubaneswar City Center.
• Road : Well connected with NH 5.

 

SIGHTSEEING AT A GLANCE:

HOLI CENTRES	Lingaraja Temple Raja Rani Temple Parasuramesvera Temple Mukteswar Temple Vaital Temple
MUSEUMS	Handicrafts Museum Orissa State Museum
OTHER	Cactus Garden
SHOPPING	Traditional fabrics especially kat fabrics. Handcrafted wooden items. Stone sculptures of Gods and Goddess.
FAIRS & FESTIVALS	Shiva Ratri Rama Navami

For more information https://odishatourism.gov.in/content/tourism/en/discover/major-cities/bhubaneswar.html
 

 

ATTRACTIONS OF BHUBANESHWAR

Lingaraja Temple:

• 11^th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, as Lingaraja is the culmination of Orissa style of temple architecture.
• The temple set in a walled compound is noted for its imposing 54 meters high spire, dominating the skyline of the town.
• The main sanctum surrounded by about 150 subsidiary shrines has a unique ‘Hari Hara Lingam’ half Shiva and half Vishnu.
• Unfortunately, they cannot be visited by Non-Hindus.

Raja Rani Temple:

• Beautiful 11^th century shrine amidst a well laid out garden is graced by erotic carvings.
• Finest Orissan temple sculptures.
• This is related to the lovely Red-and-Gold sandstone used in its construction, a stone which is known locally as ‘Raja Rani’.

Parasuramesvera Temple:

• Built around 650 A.D. in classical style is the city’s oldest surviving temple.
• Sculptural decoration occurs inside stone 'frames' which are vaguely horseshoe-shaped.
• Related to the chaitya arches of early Buddhist rock monasteries.
• Images of the different deities, illustrate the permeability of divinity in India.

Mukteswar Temple:

• 10^th century shrine regarded as the ‘Gem of Orissan architecture’ bridges the early.
• Later phases of the Kalinga School of architecture.
• Mukteswara's own stunningly beautiful gateway was strongly based on this earlier example.

Vaital Temple:

• Temple built in 800 A.D. was used mainly for tantric worship, which centered on Shakti worship.
• A ‘four faced’ linga with unusual carvings is set in front of the entrance to the sanctum.
• First erotic sculptures known in Orissan art are found here.

Handicrafts Museum:

• There is verity collection of Orissan handicrafts.
• A rich variety of Orissan handicrafts – stone sculpture, patta paintings, horn toys and silver filigree etc. are displayed here.

Orissa State Museum:

• Exhibits a fine collection of sculpture, coins, copper plates, stone inscriptions, armours, rare palm-leaf manuscripts, Bronze Age tools, natural history, geological objects, paintings, anthropological specimens and traditional folk and musical instruments etc.

Cactus Garden:

• Near ‘Ekamara Kanan’ has a large collection of Cactii and is a worth visiting site.

 

AROUND BHUBANESWAR:

Dhauli:

• Historic site is located on the Puri – Konark highway 12 kms from Bhubaneswar city center.
• Across Dhauli hill on the banks of river Daya.
• 3^rd century B.C. Ashokan Rock Edicts, on the foot of the hill indicate that the great ‘Kalinga War’ was fought here.
• Bloody war transformed emperor Ashoka, who renounced his blood thirsty campaign and embraced Buddhism.
• Buddhist Peace Pagoda (Shanti Stupa) was established on the opposite hill in the early seventies by the Japan Buddha Sangha and Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha.

Khandagiri and Udaygiri Caves:

• 8 kms from Bhubaneswar.
• Rock-cut caves at the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udaygiri were the ancient Jain monasteries.
• One of the most important Orissan historical monuments.
• Caves dating back 2^nd century B.C. were carved out by the first known Orissan ruler, Kharavela.
• As we approach the site, Khandagiri, with its 15 caves will be on the left, Udaygiri, with its 18 caves will be on the right.
• All of the caves are small, and follow the natural configurations of the 'living rock'.
• The spaces are filled with animal, human, divine personages and decorative details, showing at an early stage the love of the Odishan artist for richly elaborated scenes.

Atri Hot Spring:

• 42 kms from Bhubaneswar.
• Well known for the hot sulphur water spring and the temple of Lord Hatakeswar.
• Located in a village called Atri.
• The hot spring temperature is around 55 degree Celsius.
• Spring water is considered very pious and fulfills people wishes.

Nandan Kanan Zoo:

• Beautiful zoo 20 kms from Bhubaneswar city center.
• Carved out of the Chandaka forest is perhaps the finest in the country.
• Animals are kept in their natural habitat.
• A centrally located lake divides the Zoo from the Botanical Gardens.
• Migratory birds during winter time.
• White tiger safari with ropeway and toy train.
• Country’s largest lion safari park.

CUTTACK:

• 30 kms from Bhubaneswar.
• Cuttack is said to be founded by Nripati Kesari (920-935).
• One of the oldest towns in Orissa.
• It lies at the head of the Mahanadi delta and is virtually an island surrounded by the great river its tributary, the Kathajuri.