Udaygiri and Khandagiri Caves - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Bhubaneswar the temple city of India is the capital of Orissa. It is believed that there were about 7000 temples in Ekamra Vana of Bhubaneswar . Reminiscence of the days of yore dating back to the 6th century.Satrughaneswar and laxamaneswar temple to the gigantic Lingaraj temple of the 11th century are available in the old township .Centuries of temple building activity continued well in to the 12th and 13th century in the shape of Anant Basudev temple on the southeast of the Bindu Sarovar Tank

Dhauli Giri is the site, on whose plains Kalinga War was fought. Adorned with a rock edict erected by the great emperor Ashoka of Maurya Dynasty, the hills are located on the banks of the Daya River. Seeing the Daya River that had turned to red by the Kalingan martyrs, Ashoka renounced war and embraced Buddhism. The bloodshed led Ashoka to change his mind, after which he laid down the weapons of violence and accepted a life of Ahimsa in the form of Buddhism.

Chausathi Jogini Temple is situated in a hamlet called Hirapur. The temple is believed to be built by the Queen Hiradevi of Bramha dynasty during the 9th century. It's built in a circular fashion, completely put together with blocks of Sandstone. The inside of the circular wall has cavities, each housing the statue of a Goddess. There are around 56 such idols, made of black granite, inscribed within the wall cavities, centring on the main idol which is the Goddess Kali.

Nandankanan Zoological Park is located 20 kms ahead of the capital city Bhubaneswar in Orissa. By sprawling across dense and tranquil forests of Chandaka, Nandankanan serves the first captive gharial breeding center of India. The name that literally means the "Garden of Pleasure" is the most picturesque park to bring an opportunity to discover unique flora and fauna flourishing in their most natural habitat.

This is a very old temple in Bhubaneswar, Khordha. It is located from 2 km distance from Lingaraj shrine. The architecture of this temple is a wonder of the ancient age.

Dhabaleswar is popular for the temple of Lord Shiva that stands on a hillock in the middle of river Mahanadi. Located in an island on the river near Mancheswar village of Athagarh block, 37 km from Cuttak. the temple is embellished with stone carvings that date back to the early 10th and 11th century. It is said King Purusottam Dev established the temple in the middle of river Mahanadi so that his queen Padmabati could worship Shiva.