Orissa, on the Eastern coast of India is one of the scenically and culturally richest states in India.
Like many other Indian states it has something for every traveler –the history and culture lover, the lover of the wild, the beach enthusiast and the spiritual seeker alike.
The chief towns of Orissa are Bhuwaneswar and Cuttack is well connected to the rest of the country, falling as they do on the East Coast Highway and the EC railway line.
Bhuwaneswar has a domestic airport too. However, transport to the less visited parts of Orissa –the hilly and forested regions can be a problem. Travelers to these places are advised to allow margins for possible delays in their plans.
They would also do well to make hotel/guest house bookings in advance as far as possible. Orissa enjoys pleasant weather except between April and October. October and November are good months for the lover of festivity since the major festivals; Dusshera and Deepabali fall in these months.
• Bhuwaneswar, the capital of Orissa has the famous Lingraj and Raj Rani temples that best exemplify the Eastern school of Hindu temple architecture wherein the main edifice of the temple is in the Nagara style, with its distinctive inverted beehive shape.
• The Nandan Kanan zoological gardens on the outskirts of Bhuwaneswar are among the best in Asia.
• Udaygiri and Khandagiri, two hills with cells for meditating monks hewn out of them, are important for the traveler interested in Buddhist history.
• Konarak, a couple of hours from Bhuwaneswar has the ruins of what must have been a magnificent Sun Temple. The walls of the temple feature the 8 wheels of the Sun God’s chariot and also some of the finest erotic sculpture in the world.
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