Top Places to Visit in Bhubaneswar

About Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar is the capital city of Orissa and is spread over 422 sq km. It is also known as a temple city as it is the home to around 7000 ancient temples. Many of the temples were built during the 8th to 12th centuries, including the Ananta Vasudeva temple. The city has remained an important trade centre and religious centre in northeast India since ancient times. The city has been ruled by many dynasties in the past including the Keshari Dynasty, Eastern Ganga, Bhoi Dynasty, Karani Dynasty, Mughals and Marathas. Bhubaneswar came under British rule in 1803. It was a part of Bengal Province till 1912. 

Bhubaneswar forms the Golden Triangle with two other Odisha cities, i.e., Puri and Konark. These three cities constitute the most popular tourist circuit in Orissa. They form a triangular shape on the map and are hence called the Golden Triangle circuit of Orissa.

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In Bhubaneswar, you can visit places like Dhaulagiri, Udayagiri and Khandagiri. You can find the Dhauli Shanti stupa at Dhaulagiri and rock-cut caves in Udayagiri and Khandagiri. The beautiful architecture of the city reflects the history of Bhubaneswar, which once used to be the capital of the Kalinga Kingdom. 

The temperature at Bhubaneswar rises to 47°C in summer and in winter it can dip to as low as 8°C. Most of the people here speak Odia, Bengali and Hindi. When you are in Bhubaneswar, don’t forget to visit the grand temples here and try the delicious Pahala Rasgulla and Chhena Gaja. This city is well connected by air to other parts of India including Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. 

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Places to visit in Bhubaneswar and Nearby

• Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are rock-cut caves. They were earlier known as Kattaka caves or Cuttack caves. The caves are located on two adjacent hills and inscriptions can be found on their walls. They are mentioned as Kumari Parvata in Hathigumpha inscriptions. One can witness footprints, inscriptions, stone carvings and sculptures at this place. Udayagiri has 18 caves whereas Khandagiri has 15 caves. Rani Gumpha, the largest cave here, is known as the queen of caves. There is also a Jain temple located on the Khandagiri hill. 

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• Lingaraj Temple 

It is one of the most famous and oldest temples of Bhubaneswar. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and was built in the 17th century. According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Parvati killed the demons Litti and Vasanna at this place. This temple represents the Kalinga architecture and was the initiative of the Somavamsi Dynasty. It is built with sandstone and laterite. The height of the central temple tower is 55 metres and there is an 8-inch Shivling inside the Garbh Giri. 

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• Shanti Stupa 

Shanti Stupa is also popular as Peace Pagoda or Shanti Pagoda. It is situated at a distance of 7 km from Bhubaneswar, at the Dhaulagiri hill. This is the place where Ashoka adopted the Way of Peace and quit the war. The structure of the Stupa is in the shape of a dome. One can visit Saddharma Vihar Monastery and Dhavaleshwar temple at this place.

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• Nandankanan Zoological Park 

Nandankanan Zoological Park was established in 1960. It is situated in the vicinity of Kanjia lake. It is home to about 67 species of mammals, 18 species of reptiles and 81 species of birds. This zoo is very famous for white tigers. One can go on a lion safari and also enjoy boating in this zoo. This zoological park is the best place to visit in Bhubaneswar for nature lovers. 

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• Museum of Tribal Arts and Artefacts

The museum is built near Bhubaneswar railway station and is the only tribal museum in India. It was built in 1953 and represents the culture of the local tribes and their lifestyle. The exhibits also display clothes, musical instruments, weapons, household items, art and photographs of the tribals.

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• Odisha State Museum 

The Odisha State Museum is the initiative of two great historians, Professor NC Banerjee and Professor Ghanshyam Das. The museum has a total of 9 galleries to visit, with displays of paintings, armouries, natural history information and stone sculptures. It can take a minimum of two hours to visit all the galleries in the museum. There is a huge collection of sculptures, copper plates, antiques and many more unique items, which offer a visual treat.

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• Mukteshwar Temple 

Mukteshwar Temple has a fine architecture. Here, you can see the Gandharva plane. Apart from this, you can also find sculptures of jumping monkeys and elephants. 

• Chilka Lake

Chilka Lake is situated southwest of Puri and is India’s first and the world’s second-largest marine water lake. It is the best scenic spot in the city. There are many small lakes here and 160 types of fish are found in these lakes. One can enjoy boating in this 11 sq km lake.

• Puri 

This city is situated at a distance of about 70 km from Bhubaneswar. Puri is very popular for Shri Jagannath Temple. Lots of tourists visit this place during Rathyatra. You can enjoy the sunrise and sunset views at the Puri beaches. 

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Bhubaneswar Airport

Bhubaneswar Airport, which is also known as Biju Patnaik International Airport (IATA code: BBI), is located at a distance of 3 km from Bhubaneswar. Regular bus and taxi services are available from the city to the airport. It is the 16th busiest airport in India. Bhubaneswar Airport was renamed Biju Patnaik International Airport in memory of Biju Patnaik, who was a politician and also the Chief Minister of Odisha State. There are currently two terminals at Bhubaneswar Airport. Domestic flights are available from Terminal 1 and International flights from Terminal 2. Bhubaneswar Airport is well-connected to cities like Allahabad, Chennai, Varanasi, New Delhi, Bangalore, Patna, Raipur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Manali. Facilities available at Bhubaneswar Airport include free wheelchairs, parking, free trolleys, ATMs and cash machines, foreign exchange, car rental services, a child care room, a lounge and snack counters.