Bhubaneshwar – City of Odishan grandeur

Bhubaneshwar-City of Odishan grandeur

 

Once the ground of historic Kalinga War, the city of Bhubaneshwar on the banks of river Daya has been the bygone capital of Kalinga and is replete with history. 

 

I have travelled to Bubaneshwar many times during my visit to Puri. Best known as the temple city of Odisha, Bhubaneshwar flaunts the earliest rock-cut sculpture of India in the form of a huge elephant that is present in the Ashokan rock edict. 

 

The temple city has three prominent monuments that are frequently visited by tourists- Lingaraj temple, Peace Pagoda on Dhauli Hill and the fascinating pink temple of Mahavira in Khandagiri cave representing the influence of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism during age-old times.

Lingaraj temple

 

The most significant and the biggest shrine dominating the city skyline is Lingaraj temple rising to a height of 54 metres and honours Lord Shiva. The shrine dates back to 11thcentury and stands as one of the architectural jewels of Kalinga art. Here we had a glimpse of richly adorned sculptures on the walls of the shrine. The shrine has a huge shikara at a height of 45 metres.

Mukteshwara temple

 

Another famed shrine portraying Kaling art is the highly embellished Mukteshwara temple belonging to 10th century. The shrine has an impressive stone arch at its entrance and lives up to the reputation in being an architectural marvel. There are tales of Panchatantra carved on the exterior walls of the shrine.

Dhauligiri

 

Peace Pagoda, Dhauligiri

 

Dhauligiri fares high on the itinerary of tourists visiting Bhubaneshwar and Puri. Just an 8 km-drive from the capital city, Dhauligiri is set on Dhauli hill in the midst of tranquil, rustic environs on the banks of river Daya. The major attraction of Dhauli hill is the one-of-a-kind white-domed Peace Pagoda known as Vishwa Shanti Stupa or the Japanese Pagoda that has the life-size statue of Lord Buddha and serves as a sound example of Indo-Japanese venture.

Khandagiri and Udayagiri

 

Jain Caves of Khandagiri

 

Around 8 km north-west of Bhubaneshwar are the Jain rock-cut caves of Khandagiri and the Buddhist caves of Udayagiri that are as old as 1st century B.C. Udayagiri has 18 caves while Kandagiri has 15 caves done up with sculptural motifs. Built by king Kharavela, the caves were cut out in a solid rock and stand high in the vertical of rock-cut Indian architecture. The two-storied carved Rani Gumpha or Queen’s cave is the largest of all caves in the complex.