Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Odisha and is famous as the Temple City, for the many Kalinga-style Hindu temples built here between the 6th and 13th centuries. With Puri and Konark it forms the Golden Triangle, one of the most visited circuits in eastern India.
The area has a history reaching back to the 1st century BCE, when Jain monks lived in the rock-cut caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, and the nearby hill of Dhauli is linked with Emperor Ashoka and the Kalinga War. The modern city, planned by the German architect Otto Koenigsberger, replaced Cuttack as the state capital in 1948.
Start in the old town, where the Lingaraja, Mukteswara and Rajarani temples stand close together around the Bindu Sagar tank. Give a morning to the Jain caves and Dhauli, then visit the Odisha State Museum and the white tigers of Nandankanan. October to March brings the most comfortable weather.
Lingaraja Temple is the largest and most famous temple in Bhubaneswar, dedicated to Shiva and crowned by a tower 55 meters tall. Begun by the Somavamsi kings and extended by the Ganga rulers, its walled compound holds 108 smaller shrines. Non-Hindus view it from a platform by the wall.
Mukteswara Temple in Bhubaneswar is a small 10th-century Shiva temple, dated to about 950 to 975 CE, that marks a turning point in Odisha temple design. Its carved stone torana, an arched gateway found at no other temple in the region, is its glory. Come early to see the carvings in soft light.
Rajarani Temple is an 11th-century temple in Bhubaneswar named after the red and yellow sandstone, locally called rajarani, from which it is built. Locals know it as the love temple for its carved couples and graceful women. No deity is worshipped inside, and its quiet lawns suit a slow walk.
Parsurameswara Temple in Bhubaneswar is the best preserved early temple in Odisha, built around 650 CE and dedicated to Shiva. Its spire rises about 12 meters, and it was the first here to add a jagamohana, or assembly hall. Look for the Saptamatrikas, the seven mother goddesses, on its walls.
Brahmeswara Temple in Bhubaneswar is a Shiva temple richly carved inside and out, built around 1058 CE by Kolavati Devi, mother of the Somavamsi king Udyotakesari, as an old inscription records. A small shrine stands at each corner of its courtyard. That record, now lost, dates it well.
Ananta Vasudeva Temple in Bhubaneswar is a rare Vishnu temple in the city of Shiva, built in the 13th century by Chandrika Devi, a princess of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra are worshipped here. It stands on the bank of the Bindu Sagar tank near the Lingaraja Temple.
Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are rock-cut Jain caves on two adjacent hills just outside Bhubaneswar, carved in the 2nd or 1st century BCE in the reign of King Kharavela. Udayagiri has 18 caves and Khandagiri 15. Do not miss the two-storey Rani Gumpha and the Hathigumpha inscription.
The Hirapur Chausath Yogini Temple, 20 km from Bhubaneswar, is a small circular shrine open to the sky and dedicated to 64 yoginis, goddess-like figures of tantric worship. Each yogini is carved standing on an animal or a demon. Yogini temples like this are rare, with only a few others in India.
Dhauli Shanti Stupa crowns Dhauli Hill above the Daya River, 8 km south of Bhubaneswar, where the Kalinga War is believed to have turned Emperor Ashoka to Buddhism. The white peace pagoda was built in 1972 with Japanese Buddhist help. Ashoka's rock edicts are carved at the foot of the hill.
Odisha State Museum in Bhubaneswar traces its roots to 1932 and has stood in its present building since 1960. Its eleven sections range from archaeology, coins and armour to patta paintings and a famous collection of palm-leaf manuscripts. Allow two hours for its sculpture galleries.
Nandankanan Zoological Park is a 437-hectare zoo and botanical garden in the Chandaka forest, 10 km north of Bhubaneswar, around the Kanjia lake. Opened to the public in 1979, it was the first zoo in India to join the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is famous for its white tigers.
Ekamra Kanan is a botanical garden and park in Bhubaneswar, set up in 1985 over about 500 acres and run by the Regional Plant Resource Centre, a state research body. It is the biggest park in the city and one of its most popular spots, with wide lawns and flower beds. Go in the cool of the morning.
No reviews yet. Been to Bhubaneswar? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Bhubaneswar? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Government of Odisha, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Government of Odisha, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Itsmalay~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ssriram mt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Nathularog, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Kritzolina, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Government of Odisha, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Zoetrope2012, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Soumendra Barik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Government of Odisha, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Government of Odisha, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Pattnaik.chandan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Rajashree Talukdar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Sangram Keshari Senapati, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Varundluffy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Soumendra Barik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Paramanu Sarkar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Chowbeypiali, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Balaji, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Smaranika123, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Ssriram mt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Smaranika123, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Smaranika123, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Udayakuni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Abhishekk0107, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Sandeepsaho, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Nayansatya, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Radosław Botev, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 pl
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Thamizhpparithi Maari, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Balajijagadesh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: SUDEEP PRAMANIK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Prashant Kharote, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: SUDEEP PRAMANIK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Sailesh Patnaik, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Aliva Sahoo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Debashis Pradhan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Hemant_sahu_Raj, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: SpeakingArch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Apurv013, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Anubhav123sarangi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Pallavi Achary, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Rajmishra757, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
