Bhubaneshwar City Guide
The ancient
capital of the Kalinga empire, and now the capital of Orissa,
Bhubaneswar's history goes back over 2000 years. "Bhubaneshwar"
means the "abode of God" or "master of the universe"
and it was also, once known as the 'Cathedral of the East', on account of
the large number of shrines. At one time, the Bindu Sagar tank was
bordered by over 7000 temples. Of these, 500 still survive, all built in
the extravagant Oriya style. It is of these temples, that the great poet,
Rabindranath Tagore had once said - 'At all places where the eye rests,
and also at places where the eye does not rest, the busy chisel of the
artist has worked incessantly. The abode of god has been enveloped by a
variety of figures depicting the good and the evil, the great as well as
the insignificant, the daily occurences of human life....'
Festivals
:
The end of January is the time when the Tribal Fair comes
around. February to March, Shivaratri is held at the Lingaraj Temple,
Hakateswar Temple Atri and throughout Orissa. Magha Saptami is held at
Khandagiri outside Bhubaneshwar.
At Ashokashtami, during
April/May, the idol of Lord Lingaraja is taken out in procession, part of
a chariot festival. Panashankanti (Fire-walking) takes place in various
areas on the first day of Baisakh. In June/July, the impressive Rath Yatra
takes place at Puri, Baripada and other parts of the state. Kali Puja, in
October/November, the city is lit with lamps. Bali Yatra in
October/November, a fair is held on the banks of the Mahanadi river in
Cuttack.
How to reach :
On the
National Highway linking Kolkata (480 km) and Chennai (1225 km). Air links
to Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Nagpur. Rail links to Kolkata, Chennai,
Delhi (1745 km), Mumbai(1691 km).
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