Bhubaneswar Tourism: Hotels, Reviews, Packages, Photos, Maps, Experience, Itinerary

Also referred to as the Temple City, Bhubaneswar was once home to over 7000 Hindu temples built over seven centuries. Today there are less than 600, many having been lost to the ravages of time and iconoclastic invaders. Bhubaneswar was also an important Buddhist enclave with the conversion of the Hindu king Ashoka, after the battle of Kalinga. Buddhism flourished here for over 1,000 years. Even earlier than that, Jainism flourished here under the patronage of King Kharavela. He was the first historically documented ruler of Orissa with his capital at Sisupalgarh. This is located on the outskirts of present-day Bhubaneswar. The carvings in the Jain cave monasteries, commissioned by him at Khandagiri and Udaygiri, document various aspects of the king's reign. Located on India's eastern coast Bhubaneswar, an important commercial and religious hub, was once the capital