There is the famous Lingaraj Temple which has been a centre of Shiva-worship. Buddhism and Jainism also received royal patronage and general acceptance. Emperor Ashoka won a bloody war in 261 B.C. but lost his style="mso-spacerun: yes" victory in remorse and repentance and thus he embraced Buddhism. This is also the landof the great Orissan emperor Kharavela whose exploits and achievements have been recorded in the rock-cut inscriptions in the caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri. The grace and majesty of Orissan art can be seen in the great temples of Lingaraj, Rajarani and Mukteswar.

          In the modern part of the city which is only about forty years old, one finds the temples of our time, the major academic and research establishments such as Utkal University, the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, the Utkal University of Culture, Regional Research Laboratory, the Institute of Physics, the Indian Council of Medical Research, and so on. Life is quicker here compared to what it is in the ancient section. The city traffic cannot be called heavy even during the peak hours and parts of the city wear a deserted look for the better part of the day. The city is generally safe for travel at all hours. But as a precaution one need not venture out at odd hours at night. One invariably returns from Bhubaneswar with pleasant memories and a rich haul of memorabilia consisting of exquisite artefacts or beautifully designed hand-woven silk or cotton material or plenty of photographs of temples, caves, landscape and so on, and above all, with a fond desire to come back someday to the land of history and culture, into the folds of affection of the place and the people.

          The major places of interest are listed in alphabetical order. Bhubaneswar has two distinct zones : one belonging to the glorious past that includes the majestic temples, the ruins of ancient shrines and cities, the caves and the historically significant rock-cut inscriptions and royal edicts, and the other belonging to our times with all the signs and symptoms of a modern city, such as the massive complex of the Orissa Secretariat, the nerve centre of state administration, tall buildings that are the veritable beehives of commercial activities, beautiful shopping areas, lovely parks and posh housing localities, the Universities and many other institutions of learning and research, luxurious hotels and restaurants offering comfort and food that would compare favourably with the best anywhere, and so on. This modern city is also the capital of the State.There is a sense of continuity as one finds the spire of the Lingaraj temple looking over the modern highrise steel and concrete structures, office complexes and hotels. The city is a living phenomenon expanding and growing with the passing of every day.

          The vistor to this temple town can reach Bhubaneswar by air or bus or train. Once in the town he may choose his own mode of travel either by city buses or hired cars and autorickshaws. But to absorb the ambience of the place and have a leisurely pace to his visits, he may prefer the cycle-rickshaw to other modes of fast transport.Figures against each entry indicate the approximate distance between the proposed place of visit and the railway station that is at the centre of the city and the gateway of entry to the majority of visitors to Bhubaneswar Ananta - Vasudeva Temple 1278 A.D.(4 km)Often considered to be a watered down version of the magnificent Lingaraj temple as far as the architecture is concerned, this 18.29 metre high lone Vaishnav shrine is the most finished temple situated on the east bank of the Bindu Sarovara. It was erected by Chandradevi, the daughter of Anangabhima III during the rule of Bhanudeva in 1278 AD. In support of this date eminent historians offer a fresh reading and interpretation of the text found on the commemorative inscription of the temple. This piece of evidence now is under the custody of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Other scholars think 1200 AD as a probable date of its construction.The temple has four component parts; their roofs ascending upward, culminating in the mastaka of the deul. The shrine has a profusely carved exterior and an ornamental platform within the complex. Ananta-Vasudeva temple is an important Vaishnavite place of worship with the images of the Holy Trinity, Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra in the sanctum. The parsva-devatas include at least three incarnations of Vishnu, the Preserver. It is customary for the devout to visit the temple after taking a holy dip in the Bindu-Sarovara, prior to the darshan of Lord Lingaraj. Scores of pilgrims from different parts of the country entering the temple with fresh flowers, sweets, coconuts and bananas as offerings to the deities is a colourful sight. They eagerly await their turn in the rush to partake of mahaprasad or holy food.Bhaskareshwar Temple (6 km)This small temple is remarkable for its 'stepped' design and the unusually high linga in its sanctum. The peculiarity of the temple structure seems to have been dictated by the practical necessity of performing rituals like bathing or garlanding or putting pastes of sandalwood and other perfumery on the tall linga which rises to a height of nearly three metres from the floor level. Some scholars believe that the linga was originally a free standing pillar.

          Bindu Sarovara (4km) Situated to the north of the Lingaraj temple this large pool measures approximately 400m x 230m. The devouts believe this Sarovara to contain water from every holy stream, pool and river of India and can purify them of all sins. Hence on its banks, they perform many rituals, or tonsure their heads and take a dip in its water. Once upon a time the tank had all its sides covered with stone. Today only the southern side and parts of the eastern side have the original linings made of blocks of laterite stone. At the centre of the tank there is an island temple to which the icon of Vishnu is customarily taken during the Snana Yatra.The embankment on all sides is dotted with innumerable shrines and temples, some of which are still under active worship.

           Brahmeshwar Temple 1061 AD.(6.5 km)This temple was built by Kolavati, the mother of the Somavansi king Udyotakesari, in the eighteenth regnal year of his reign, in the Siddhatirtha locality at Ekamra. One of the inscriptions, now believed lost, stated that Kolavati presented many beautiful women to the temple. This presentation is interpreted as an early evidence of the devadasi (God's Maids) tradition. This tradition influenced the socio-economic as well as the cultural life of the Odissan people at a later date and formed a dominant and recurrent motif in Orissi music and dance. The importance of this system can be realised from the fact that this motif had come to be part of the art idiom too.The temple is a fine specimen of innovative and mature Orissan style of temple building. For the first time iron beams have been used to build up the structure. This is the second temple, after the Mukteshwar, to boast of a Jagamohana that has a finely carved interior. The sculptural details and the immaculate iconography show expert workmanship of the Orissan artists of the era. The figures of the musicians and dancers, the lion-head motif, the amusing and erotic figures and others exude a special charm. One must notice the beautiful figure of a young woman appearing a little bewildered and perhaps a little surprised at her lover's unexpected naughty probe into her body. The floral motifs, the intricately designed creepers, the flying figures, the images of the eight directional guardian deities and so on, are all meticulously executed and the chiselling shows an excellent sense of proportion, harmony and an eye for aesthetic embellishment on the part of the artists. The usual Shaivite door keepers stand above the double vidalas at the bottom of the jambs; the figure of the Gajalakshmi adorns the mid section of the lintel and those of the navagrahas are there on the architrave. This shrine, though dedicated to Lord Shiva, shows a number of images which might have been inspired by the Tantric cult of the time. On the western facade the figure of Chamunda stands on a corpse with a trident and a human head. Elsewhere many other deities, including Shiva, are depicted in their horrific aspects.

            B K College of Art and Crafts (10 km) The college offers higher studies in certain modes of art and craft including wood carving, palm leaf etching, stone sculpture, clay modelling,commercial art, graphic art, line drawing and painting. The college is located in Khandagiri area. It is affiliated to the Utkal University of Culture.Dhauli (9 km) Dhauli is a small hillock rising conspicuously on the southern bank of the river Daya, in the midst of green fields that seem to reach out to the horizon. This is the site where Ashoka waged the final battle against Kalinga in 261 BC. The victory came to him riding over a million corpses bringing him a macabre confirmationof his military prowess that had already earned him the sobriquet, Asoka the Slayer (Chandasoka). Legend has it that the gory sight of the battle with dead men chocking the flow of the Daya river (literally, the river of compassion) that had turned to be a river of blood, filled the heart of the conqueror with an hitherto unknown feeling of compassion and bouts of remorse. He realised the futility of digvijaya (military conquest) and the nobility of dharmavijaya (spiritual conquest). Thus Asoka the Slayer changed into Asoka the compassionate (Dharmasoka). He embraced Buddhism, it is believed, here, at the Dhauli foothill. This is the place where gory deeds were amended by hoary corrections.

          At the base of Dhauli, where the approach road to the top begins its incline, one can see on the left the Asokan rock-edicts, well preserved under a large rock outcropping with a rock-cut elephant head. The edicts are public injunctions, instructions from the emperor to the local administrators to imbibe and adopt the spirit of justice and compassion towards the people in all matters pertaining to the civil administration. Two new edicts, pacifistic in nature, have been added and the 13th edict, that glorified Asok's conquest of Kalinga, is conspicuous by its absence. The elephant head over the edicts is a sacred Buddhist motif testifying to the emperor's change of heart.To commemorate the historic events of the past, the Japanese Buddhists have lavishly contributed to erect a peace pagoda on the hilltop. On a clear day, standing on the steps of the pagoda, the visitor can have a maginificent view of the temple town with the majestic Lingaraj temple rising to the sky or watch at the foothill the silver strip of the river Daya meanderinglazily past its serpentine bends, touching softly the embankments where the glorious past of Orissa has remained hidden.

            It is a wonderful experience watching the glorious sunset beyond the unending Ekamrakanan (10 km)Spread over a large area, Ekamrakanan is a modern nursery-cum-flower garden. It is a favourite haunt of the plant lovers as well as casual visitors as round the year the well-preserved beds of flowers offer a feast for the eye. The rose-beds present a riot of colours and the air is often thick with sweet smell. Many varieties of cacti can also be seen us.

           Harekrushna Mahtab State Library (2km)The building quite close to Rabindra Mandap on Jawaharlal Marg houses the State Library. It is named after late Harekrushna Mahtab, one of the former Chief Ministers of Orissa. There are a large number of books including some old and priceless volumes. It caters to the need of the reading public of the city. It remains open from 8.00 A.M. to 8.00 P.M. on all working days.

            Institute of Physics (4 km)This is a premier institute of study and research in Physics where scholars from different arts of the country and abroad conduct full time research in different branches of Physics. It has a beautiful campus with hostels for scholars, faculty building and residential quarters for the staff.Jayadev Orissa State Museum (2 km)This is rather a small museum with limited sections of exhibits. But the archaeological wing boasts of some of the rare findings of historical as well as sociological importance. Some of the collections are exquisite specimens of Orissan sculpture. The manuscript section of the museum has a large collection of palm leaf writing locally known as pothi Scholars are engaged in research in this section. The section devoted to the history and culture of Orissa provides a glimpse of the composite character of Orissan culture through carefully arranged exhibits and show-windows.  

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