INFORMATION ABOUT BHUBANESWAR IN ODISHA..

About BHUBANESWAR::::::

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.

Bhubaneswar Airport

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:

The twin hills of Kumargiri and Kumarigiri known asKhandagiri 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.	Khandagiri and Udaygiri

Cactus Garden

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

Dhauli Shanti Stupa

Dhauli Shanti Stupa

Dhauli hills are located on the banks of the river Daya, 8 km south of Bhubaneswar in Orissa (India). It is a hill with vast open space adjoining it, and has major Edicts of Ashoka engraved on a mass of rock, by the side of the road leading to the summit of the hill. Dhauli hill is presumed to be the area.

The Rock Edicts found here include Nos. I-X, XIV and two separate Kalinga Edicts. In Kalinga Edict VI, he expresses his concern for the "welfare of the whole world". The rock-cut elephant above the Edicts is the earliest Buddhist sculpture of Orissa. The stone elephant shows the animal's foreparts only, though it has a fine sense of form and movement. It has another significance, which is related to earth in form of an elephant, and to that extent, elephant probably represented the Buddha to devotees.



Buddha Statue at Dhauligiri 

Ashoka had a special weakness for Dhauli, where the battle was fought. The Daya river is said to have turned red with the blood of the many deceased after the battle, and enabled Ashoka to realize the magnitude of horror associated with war. He saw to it that Dhauli became an important centre of Buddhist activities. He built several chaityas, stupas and pillars there. He got abodes excavated for the recluse, instructions inscribed for officials, expounded the main principles of dandaniti for the public, provided special status to his new kingdom including the stupas at Dhauli. On the top of the hill, a dazzling white peace pagoda has been built by the Japan Buddha Sangha and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha in the 1970s.

The nearby region also houses Ashokan edicts and possibly a Stupa at Bhaskareshwar temple at Tankapani road as argued by scholars. The Dhauligiri hills also has an ancient Shiva temple which is the place for mass gathering during Shiva Ratri Celebrations.

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 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

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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.

* Distance from Bhubaneswar