Bhubaneswar, the capital
of ancient Kalinga and the capital of modern-day Orissa
state, is a center for
commerce and religious
activity and popularly known as the " Temple
City of India". Being the seat of
Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord
Lingaraj', it is an important Hindu
pilgrimage centre. Both Bhubaneswar and
Cuttack are known as the "twin
cities" of Orissa.
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More about
Bhubaneswar
Climate
Bhubaneswar experiences a
tropical climate, with extremely hot
summers (average temperatures 25-45 deg. celsius),
and chilly but not extremely cold
winters (average temperatures 7-28 deg. celsius).
During monsoons, the weather is quite
pleasant but humid. The
best time to visit is between
Oct-Mar.
Language
The main language is Oriya
and one can manage with English in tourist
places.
Hundreds of
temples dot the landscape which once boasted
of more than 2000 temples. Here, temple
building activities in Oriyan 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 and
offers facilities
to
cater to every type of visitor.
Some interesting fairs /
festivals celebrated here include the
chariot-pulling festival in March
when the local deities are taken in procession, the
Adivasi Mela in
end-Jan, a fair that displays the
art, artifacts, tradition, culture, and
music of the tribal
inhabitants of Orissa and Durga Puja
in October.
Silver
filigree, stone and wood carving, Patta
paintings (a traditional medium on which
paintings of Lord Jagannath of Puri
and the mythological characters of
Radha and
Krishna are painted in a particular
style), tie and dye textiles, bamboo
basketry, brass and bell metal work, horn
work, colorful applique worked home decorations and
many other famous handicrafts of Orissa
can be selected as souvenirs from
the local markets.
Places to visit
in and around Bhubaneswar include
Khandagiri &
Udayagiri caves (site of an ancient
Jain monastery - 2nd century BC, with cave
like chambers in the face of a hill),
Lingaraj Temple, Dhauli
Giri (a historical place where in 261 BC, the
Mauryan emperor Ashoka,
after the Kalinga war, renounced his
blood-thirsty campaign and turned to
Buddhism).
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