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The ancient capital of the Kalinga dynasty, and presently the capital of Orissa, Bhubaneswar's history is of over 2000 years. Sisupalgarh which is situated at the suburbs of the city , once was the capital of Sovereign Kharvel .
The elephant caves writing at the Khandagiri and Udaigiri mountains are proof of the region's ancient times.The name of Bhubaneswar is taken from the Sanskrit word Tribhuvaneswara, which is another name of Lord Shiva. Bhubaneswar means the “Lord of the Universe”. During the period of 261 B.C.the great Mauryan emperor Ashoka captured the kalinga after a bloody battle in which lakhs of soldiers lost their life .
King Ashoka renounced bloodshed and embraced Buddism after the massacre of Kalinga war.Under the rule of Kharavela in the 1st century BC, Orissa regained its lost fame and Bhubaneswar again became the centre of activities. Khandagiri and Udayagiri are the most significant monastery caves which were constructed during this period. During the 7th century, Hinduism supplemented Jainism and Kesari and Ganga sovereignty did a lot for the improvement of Orissan civilization. Bhubaneswar was the magnetic centre of Lord Shiva and was home to some 7,000 temples devoted to different god and which about 500 survive now. The glorious temple of Lord Lingaraj is the most magnificent temple of Orissa .
In the field of arts & craft orissa , maintains it's dignity for centuries. Applique an vital and traditional craft in Orissa, done in and around Bhubaneswar , this involves the making of enormous applique canopies for Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra during the Rath Yatra (Car Festival) Puri. The process of cutting coloured cloth into geometrical and figurative animal and stitching them on to another piece of cloth creates a wonderful product. The usage of this can be found every where -- temple canopies, lamp shades, garden umbrellas, handbags, kitchen accessories, tents, and bed and table covers. Pipli a small town close to Bhubaneswar (arround 20Kms) is the main center for some beautiful applique work. Puri in Orissa, also known for its applique craft.
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| Khandagiri |
Khandagiri & Udayagiri monuments were modeled by the great Jain king Kharavela, who ruled Orissa from 168 to 153 B.C., these sandstone caves were made for Jain monks. Udayagiri means Sunrise Hill and Khandagiri means Broken Hill, which is 40 meter high than the surroundings plan area.
The famous caves of Hathigumpha (elephant cave) in Udaygiri, RaniGumpha (Queen's cave) also in Udaygiri, with upper and lower stories, spacious courtyards and extremely delicately designed friezes bear witness to the sophistication the architectural styles had attained early Orissa.
It is located at 5.5 km from the heart of Bhubaneswar, which is well connected with other parts of the city. These 113 caves were built around 2nd century B.C. The Pali records engraved in the Hathi Gumpha, proves the 13 year megalithic record of king Kharavela.
Khandagiri caves can be reached by going up the steps next to the entrance to the Udayagiri caves. If you climb these steps, when the path divides, take the right path and you come to Caves 1 and 2. They are known as the Parrot Caves because of the birds carved over the doorways. Return on the path for 30m and then climb some steps to the Ananta Cave (3), which has carvings of elephants, women, and a bird carrying flowers. It has the best sculptures of the Khandagiri Caves . You can then climb the hill, passing the Jain temples, and at the top, there is an 18th century temple dedicated to Mahavir, the 24th tirthankara (Jain teacher). There is a good view of Bhubaneswar city including the Airport, Lingaraj Temple & Dhauli from the Khandagiri hill.
Dhaul i is famous for its Buddhist monuments.It also happens to be the placewhere the bloodiest of battles was fought and won by the great king Ashoka .This was also the moment which change the mind of great king Ashoka from ambitious king of a prospering kingdom to a Buddha follower. He changed from chanda Ashoka to dharma Ashoka. The proof of this conversion can be seen at Dhauli , which is 8 km from Bhubaneswar . This can be found in rock edict marked by the image of an elephant sculpted from the overhanging rock.
In Orissa,two such rock edicts are still survived. The inscriptions at dhauli was written by Emperor Ashoka asking the public to keep brotherhood and live peacefully.
These digpalas (demigods) are Indra (east), the head of the demigods; Agni (southeast), the god of fire; Yamaraja (south), the god of death; Nairuta ( southwest ); Varuna (west), the god of water; Vayu ( northwest ), the god of air; Kubera (north), the god of wealth; and Isana (northeast). The temple is also noted for its sculptural excellence reflected in the erotic postures of the mithuna couple, gajasimha and other stone carvings.
The Peace Pagoda (popularly known as Vishwa Shanti Stupa) built in 1972 Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha, is another popular tourist place that one can visit on the tour of Buddhist place in Orissa. In the tour of Buddhist monuments in orissa, medival Hindu temples in Dhuli snd small rock cut caves are worth seeing places.
Air : Indian Airlines and many private airlines fly on regular basis to Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar Airport is 3 km from the city centre and almost all the major cities are connected from here. Indian Airlines has flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkotta, Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi.
Rail : Bhubaneswar also have good railway network connecting it to major cities of India Kolkatta, Puri, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Tirupati.
Road : The national highway no.5 touches this capital city. The main bus stand is at Barmunda, 8 km from the city centre. There are regular interstate bus services from the nearby towns and cities. Inter-state bus services operate daily in between Calcutta and Puri via Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar-Tata Nagar.
Local Transport : Bhubaneswar State Transport operates regular buses between Bhubaneswar and Berhampur, Chilika, Konark, Puri, and other places. Taxis, auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and local bus services are available. Autos are also a main source of transport. Tourist taxis and deluxe buses are available on rent from Transport Manager. The old bus stand in Unit II (off Rajpath) is mainly used for local services.
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