East India · Odisha
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
Before you go
The 'temple city' -- hundreds of Kalinga-style temples, the Ashokan edicts at Dhauli and Jain caves; usually paired with Puri and Konark.
About Bhubaneswar
- Inland
Where it is
Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, lies in Khordha district on the south-western edge of the Mahanadi delta, about 60 km north of Puri and close to the old capital of Cuttack.
History
Dhauli, on the city's edge, is traditionally linked with Ashoka's Kalinga war of the 3rd century BCE and bears his edicts, and in the 2nd or 1st century BCE King Kharavela's Jain caves were cut at Udayagiri and Khandagiri. Between about the 7th and 13th centuries Odisha's rulers built hundreds of temples here, among them the Lingaraj, and in 1948 the new planned city replaced Cuttack as the state capital.
People
Bhubaneswar speaks Odia, and its old temple quarter around the Bindu Sagar keeps priestly traditions alive. Odissi dance and the crafts of the region, from pattachitra painting to Cuttack's silver filigree, are part of city life, and Durga Puja, Raja and the Lingaraj chariot festival fill the calendar.
Known for
- The Lingaraj Temple
- The Mukteshwar and Rajarani temples
- Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves
- Dhauli Shanti Stupa and Ashoka's edicts
- Odia food such as dalma, pakhala and chhena poda
Did you know?
Bhubaneswar was one of modern India's first planned cities, designed by the German architect Otto Koenigsberger in 1946 as Odisha's new capital.
Shrines and sites
- Lingaraj Temple
- Mukteshwar and Rajarani temples
- Udayagiri and Khandagiri Jain caves
- Dhauli Shanti Stupa
Traditions
- Hindu
- Buddhist
- Jain
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.