Welcome to Orissa!

Scenic.Serene.Sublime

Lingaraj Temple

Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, 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 Orissan style flowered from its very inception to its fullest culmination extending over a period of over one thousand years.

The new Bhubaneswar with its modern buildings and extensive infrastructure perfectly complements its historic surroundings. With facilities to cater to every type of visitor, Bhubaneswar makes an ideal tourist destination.

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.

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.

Stay : With numerous hotels as well as the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation's Panthanivas, Bhubaneswar is well equipped to accommodate every type of visitor. The list of the major hotels with their phone numbers is here.

Handicrafts of the Region : Silver filigree, Stone and Wood carving, Patta paintings, Tie and Dye textiles, bamboo basketry, brass and bell metal work, horn work, and many other famous handicrafts of Orissa 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.

Some of the other important tourist spots of Bhubaneswar are:

Khandagiri and Udaygiri

The twin hills of Kumargiri and Kumarigiri known as Khandagiri and Udaygiri contain varieties of rock-cut caves, built mainly for the jain monks around 1st - 2nd century B.C.#The thirteen years lithic record of King Kharavela engraved in Hatigumpha (elephant cave) is a magnificent specimen of Pali records so far found in India.

Cactus garden situated close to the 'Ekamara Kanan' in Bhubaneswar, the Cactus Garden, with its huge collection of Cactii should not be missed.

Cactus Garden

Ancient Temples

RAJARANI TEMPLE

MUKTESWAR TEMPLE

Ananta Vasudeva (c. 13th century A.D.)	Bharateswar Temple (c. 6th century A.D.)	Bharatimath
Bhaskareswar Temple	Brahma Temple	Brahmeswar Temple (c. 11th century A.D.)
Chandana Temple	Chitrakarini	Daiteswar Temple
Dwarabasini Temple	Gosagareswar Temple	Kainchi Temple
Kedareswar Temple	Kotitirtheswar	Laxmaneswar Temple (c. 6th century A.D.)
Lingaraj Temple (c. 11th century A.D.)	Makarewswar	Markandeswar Temple
Mukteswar (c. 10th century A.D.)	Mohini Temple	Papanasini
Parsurameswar Temple (c. 7th century A.D.)	Rajarani Temple (c. 11th century A.D.)	Rameswar Temple
Satrughaneswar Temple (c. 6th century A.D.)	Subarneswar	Swarnajaleswar Temples (c. 7th century A.D.)
Taleswar Temple	Tirtheswar Temple	Uttareswar Temple
Vaital Temple (c. 8th century A.D.)	Vimaleswar / Gaurisankar	Vishnu Temple
Khandagiri & Udaygiri caves (c 1st century B.C.)

Modern Temples

Baya Baba Matha

Ram Mandir

Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir

ISKCON Temple

Parks

IG PARK

EKAMRA KANAN

Biju Patanaik Park

Buddha Jayanti Park

Ekamra Kanan / Cactus Garden

Forest Park

Gandhi Park

I.G. Park

IMFA Park

Kharavela Park

S.P. Mukherjee Park

Subas Bose Park

Shopping

EKAMRA HAAT

Boyanika	Ekamra Haat	Kalamandir
Sambalpuri Bastralaya	Satyam Shivam Sundaram	Utkalika
Priyadarshani	Bazar Kolkata	Vishal Garments

Other Landmarks

Nicco Park Pathani Samanta Planetarium	BDA Nicco Park	Fortune Tower	Info City
Nicco Park Pathani Samanta Planetarium	Kalinga Stadium	Pathani Samanta Planetarium	Science Park

Fairs and Festivals of the region

Fairs / Festivals	Place	Period
Shiva Ratri	Bhubaneswar, Atri	February - March
Khandagiri Mela	Khandagiri	January - February
Ashokastami	Bhubaneswar	March-April
Ramanavami	Odagaon, Bhubaneswar	March - April
Jhamuyatra	Kakatpur	April - May
Anla Navami	Sakshigopal	October - November

Places around Bhubaneswar

Dhauli	Hirapur	Nandankanan
Atri

* Distance from Bhubaneswar

Dhauli (8 km)*	Surrounded by paddy fields, the Dhauli hill brings back memories of the historic 'Kalinga war' which was fought around here. It is here that Ashoka, the terrible, was transformed into Ashoka, the compassionate and championed the cause of Buddhism. On the foot of the hill one can see the Rock Edicts of Ashoka and the forepart of a skillfully sculpted elephant hewn out of a huge rock. Dhauli has gained prominence due to the establishment of a Buddhist Peace Pagoda, popularly known as Shanti Stupa, built in the early seventies by the Japan Buddha Sangha and Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha. An old temple of Lord Dhavaleswar, reconstructed in 1972, also stands on the hill-top.
Sisupalgarh	Just two km from the famed Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar lie the ruins of Sisupalgarh. Dating back to the third or fourth century BC, these ruins show that even at that early date there was a well fortified city here, and establish the fact that the Orissan civilization has very ancient roots.
Hirapur (15 km)*	Hirapur has the 11th century Hypaethral temple of sixty four Yoginis. It is second of its kind in Orissa and one of four such unique temples in India.
Atri (42 km)*	Situated amidst greenery and famous for the hot sulphur water spring, Atri, 42 km. from Bhubaneswar and 14 km. from Khurda, is also a holy place with the shrine of Hatakeswar. A bath in the spring water is reputed to cure skin diseases apart from being a pleasant experience.
Nandankanan (20 km)*	Picturesquely carved out of the Chandaka forest, Nandankanan is a Biological Park where animals are kept in their natural habitat. A centrally located lake divides the Zoo from the Botanical Gardens. Tigers, Lions, Clouded Leopards, Black Panthers, European Brown Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Gharials, Rosy Pelican, Grey Pelican, Indian Python, King Cobra, etc. are among the attractions of the zoo, which is famous for its White Tigers. The exotic Botanical Garden on the other side of the zoo preserves varieties of indigenous plants. Regular bus services are available to reach the place.

Need more info? Contact
The Director
Dept. of Tourism, Paryatan Bhawan, Museum Campus, Bhubaneswar - 751 014
Tel.No. (674) 2432177 email: ortour at orissatourism.gov.in