The capital of Orissa, Bhubaneshwar, is located on the far eastern coast of Orissa. Situated in the district of Puri, the Bay of Bengal is on the east while it is surrounded by the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Khorda and Cuttack. As being situated on the eastern coast of the Indian sub-continent, it experiences a typical tropical and climate and is best visited during the winter months from October to February.
Bhubaneshwar, the capital of the ancient state of Orissa is commonly known as the temple town of India. The area which was known as Kalinga in the ancient days was ruled by many a rulers, including the great Emperor Ashok of the Maurya dynasty. Bustling with modernity today, Bhubaneshwar reverberates with echoes of the past. Rich with cultural and traditional heritage, Bhubaneshwar derives its name from the word Tribhuvaneshwar, meaning Lord Shiva. It was near Bhubaneshwar that the great Emperor Ashok had to face a tough battle against the Kalinga after which he renounced violence and embraced Buddhism.
Bhubaneshwar boasts of having nearly 10,000 temples in the past of which nearly 500 still have survived the wrath of time. The temples are an architectural extravaganza spanning nearly 25 centuries. The temples are the epitome of the architecture in Orissa style temple architecture. Along with Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism also have made a deep impact into the architectural culture of the city.
Bhubaneshwar is the starting point of the Golden Triangle for the tourists in the east.
Not only temples, but ancient cave paintings, wild nature, beautiful sea beaches and the rituals and the traditions followed by the tribes that are the prime inhabitants of this part of the country, is what interests the tourists from all around the world.
The city has two clear divisions, one belonging to the glorious past and the other throbbing with modernity and pace. At one end stand the ancient rock cut caves and on the other is the massive complex of the Orissa secretariat. While there are ancient shrines and royal edifices, the centre of the city has all signs and symptoms of the modern city.
The sense of continuity and the excellence of existence in harmony is much evident in Bhubaneshwar than any other city in India.
