CAPITAL city of the modern state and the ancient kingdom of Kalinga, Bhubaneswar is known as the Temple City of India. Among the finest of its 600 temples is the Lingaraja Temple of Shiva, built in the 11th century. It is also the biggest in Bhubaneswar. The Jain and Buddhist shrines give a clear picture about the settlements around Bhubaneswar in the first 2 centuries BC, and one of the most complete edicts of the Mauryan Emperor Asoka, dating from between 272-236 BC, remains carved in rock just 5 miles to the south west of the modern city.


The Sisupalgarh, the remains of a ruined city have been excavated to show that it was occupied from the beginning of the 3rd century BC to the middle of the 4th century AD. Bhubaneshwar is comfortable round the year, but the best season to visit the city is during the months of October to April.


Climate
At 45m above sea level, Bhubaneshwar has mild cool summers but hot summers.


City of Temples
The striking features of the city are the numerous temples and shrines that seem to be all around you. Bhubaneswar's skyline is dominated by some of the most spectacular engineering and artistic feats of its ancient heritage. The imposing spire of the Lingaraj Temple, the quiet beauty of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa and the pink translucence of the Mahavira Jain Temple in nearby Khandagiri, inspire feelings of wonder at their sheer beauty and their cross-- cultural permutations. The temples have after all stood testimony to the area's history, which spans 25 centuries.


Bhubaneswar has three museums, one celebrating Orissan heritage and the others; the handicrafts and the tribal research museum. The Orissa State Museum in the city has a rich collection of sculptures, coins, copper plates, stone inscriptions, lithic and bronze-age tools, rare palm leaf manuscripts and traditional folk and musical instruments.


The Handicrafts Museum has a handsome collection of stone sculptures, patta-paintings, brass castings, horn toys and silver filigree. While the temple and monuments and redolent with the culture of a hoary era, the vibrance of life throbs in the sprawling Nandan Kanan Zoological Park. Endowed with a natural lake, it is known for the rare white tigers and migratory birds which nest here during winter.


It has also the country’s largest Lion Safari Park and White Tiger safari with Ropeway and Toy Train. The park is located 20 km from Bhubaneswar but it is closed on Mondays. Another attraction is the Atri Hot Sulphur Spring. 42 km from Bhubaneswar, near the famous Hatakeswara Temple. It has a Bathing Complex for tourists.


Attractions

• Vaital Deul
  While the Parasurameswara and Mukteswara temples represent major Kalinga style of Orissan temple architecture, Vaital Deul built in 800 AD belongs to the the Khakhara order, a subdivision of the Kalinga school used for shrines devoted to tantricism. The unique 'deul' of the temple is rectangular in shape and is positioned at a right angle to the 'Jagmohana'. The horseshoe-shape of the chaitya arch and an absolutely plain outer surface of the roof vault characterize this temple. The more common 'deul' form is inserted in miniature form, on the four corners of the Vaital Deul's porch, lending the temple an exceptionally proficient style of sculptural beautification.
• Orissa State Museum
  This museum has a rich collection of the evolution of sculpture in Orissa, stone inscriptions, archeological findings, stone and bronze-age tools, rare copper plates, palm-leaf manuscripts, paintings, anthropological specimens and musical instruments of the region.
• Tribal Museum
  Orissa has a number of native tribes and this museum offers you the rare opportunity of viewing the various aspects of their life and culture such as the type of houses in which they live, their costumes and jewellery, how they make their living, their dances, musical instruments and songs and their handicrafts.

About Caves
Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves are the other major attractions in Bhubaneswar that you can visit on your tour to Bhubaneswar. Set on the Kumargiri Hills, these caves are popular for their historical significance and rock paintings. Of particular interest are the Ganesh Gumpha, Pavana Gumpha, Sarpa Gumpha and Bagh Gumpha.


How to reach

• By Air
  Bhubaneshwar has domestic flights to and from Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam.
• By Train
  It is well linked by trains to Bangalore, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madras, Puri, Tirupati and Trivandrum.
• By Road
  National Highway No. 5 connects Bhubaneshwar to Kolkata and Madras along with other major cities.