Things to do in Odisha

Across the river Daya, about 8km south from the present capital city of Odisha, Bhubaneswar, is situated the major edicts of Ashoka engraved on a mass of rock on the top of a hill. Dhauli, the name by which the place is know, is said to be the area of the quite ferocious and bloody battle of Kalinga which was won by the then Emperor of the India, Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty in 265 BC. It is said that even though the King was victory on his side, the horror of having slain over 1,50,000 people, that the Daya river is said to have turned red with the blood of the deceased. The misery inflicted on the common citizens that impacted in the mind of Emperor Ahoka with remorse and brought about a sudden change of heart. In the realisation, Ashoka gave up his ambition of dig-vijaya (military conquests in all the four directions) led his power in to dharma-vijaya (spiritual conquest)
The battle was said to have a huge impact on the Emperor, who thereafter renounced his path of violence to embrace Buddhism and publicised his new maxims in rock edicts installed in different parts around his empire. One of those edicts, which are present at Dhauli hills, proclaims, “All men are my children”, an inscription in ancient brahmi script, expresses his concern to ensure impartiality, non-violence, justice and compassion. The top of the rock sculpted into an imposing elephant’s head is related to a dream seen by mother of Buddha where he is seen to be ascending to her womb in the form of an elephant. The stupa is in white colour, which has a symbolic meaning of peace. From Dhauli stupa people can enjoy a great view of the river Daya and even can see from there the Hills of Khandagir and Udaygiri (situated at a distance of 20 km from the shrine) which is on the other side of the city of Bhubaneswar.
Ashoka also built many chaityas, stupas and pillars at Dhauli. Currently, it is one of the earliest rock structure in the history of India and it is said that Dhauli was a special weakness for the Emperor as it was where the battle was fought and he realized his ways. He saw to it that Dhauli became an important centre of Buddhist activities.

Lingaraj Temple, the second oldest temple after Parashurameshvara Temple (7th Century) in Odisha, has been constructed in the 11th century by the then ruler Jajati Keshari of Somavamsi dynasty, after shifting his capital from Jaipur to Bhubaneswar (previously Ekambra Khetra).
This is the largest temple in the city and one of the oldest temples which is active in worship.
Literarlly Lingaraj means the king of Lingas that is Lord Shiva, thus named after him, as “Lingam” is his ionic form.
The deity was originaly found under a mango tree (ekambra) which has emerged by itself in the form of a natural unshapped stone.
Shiva is worshiped in the form of Hari Hara and Tribhubaneswara (the Lord of Three Worlds) from which the Capital City of Odisha- i.e. Bhubaneswar, has derived its name.
Representing Kalinga architecture, it covers 250000 sq ft area and the central tower has a height of 180 ft (55m). Styled with Deula form the temple has four components- vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandap (hall of offerings). It also has 50 other shrines and has large and tall compound walls.

An important landmark towards the architectural development of Odisha, the Mukteswar Temple is often times described as one of the jewels of Odisha. With its exquisite scluptures and elegannt looks built in the 10th Century, the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is an important monument for the study of the development of Hindu temples in Odisha. Speculated to be built by Jajati I, the Mukteswar temple, along with Rajarani temple and the Lingaraj temple located in the capital city of Bhubaneswar are claimed to be the most prominent attractions for the temple city of India. It marks as one of the stylistic developments as a culmination of the earlier eras and experiment for developments towards something new.
It’s main attraction is the torana or the elaborately decorated arch which is also the main feature of the temple. It reflects an era of heavy influence of Buddhist architecture. The archway is filled with exquisite carvings of ornaments, beautiful women and other such intricate designs.
The temple’s structure might be seen as regular but what makes it remarkable is its plethora of unparalleled detailed architecture in the entirety of its premises. The windows are diamond shaped and filled with lattice designs.
The temple has many landmarks present near itself one of which is the small but famous Marichi Kund. It was believed that the water from here could cure infertility of women especially during the Rukuna Rath Yatra.

An 11th century temple originally known as Indreswara, the Rajarani temple is one of the most unique. The temple built in the panchtaratha style it is often times referred locally as the love temple because of the presence of erotic carvings of women and couples. It is built on a raised platform with two structures : a central shrine called the viamana with a bada over its roof. It’s dull red and yellow colour comes from the sandstone used for its building. Its name Rajarani is believed to have come from the presence of Naga and Nagini at the entrance .
The main highlight of the temple are the fine sculptures of the dikpalas or guardians of the eight directions carved all around the shrine starting from Lord Indra in the east, bearded Agni in the southeast, Yama in the south, Nirriti in the southwest and many more. Other sculpture on the wall also depict the scenes of the marriage of Shiva, Nataraja, Parvati and include tall and slender nayikas in various roles and moods such as looking in th emirror and taking off her anklet.
It has successive tiers of projections rising to form the 18m tower.
It has a square sanctuary and its interior and exterior are so recessed that it appears circular. The ornamental deul stands diagonal to the severely plain jagamohana.
It is said that the architecture of many other temples are originated from this, especially the ones in the central India.
The temple contains no images of any deity inside its sanctum but certain features indicate its origin as a Saivite.

The Tribal Research Institute museum, Museum of Tribal Arts and Artifacts in Bhubaneswar is a museum located inside the campus of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe and labeled as Museum of Man.
Present in the museum is the life sized tribal dwellings crafted by tribal craftsmen. It offers a view of the State’s tribal heritage and has sections which showcase tribal artifacts and objects, focusing on well researched, documented cultural life of tribals of Odisha. The administrative control of the museum lies in the hands of ST, SC, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Development and is headed by the director who’s currently in the rank of a University professor.
The charm of the museum has made it to be one of the top tourist attractions over the decades for people of all ages. It’s location in the capital city has made it a convenient spot. The museum showcases the culture and livelihood of tribal people of Odisha through a rare collection of clothes, jewelers, musical instruments, tools, weapons and more.
The museum includes 5 life-sized tribal huts built by local tribal artists. These represent the tribe of Juang, Santal, Saora, Gadaba and Kandha. It also includes 5 halls display a great assortment of arts and artifacts depicting tribal lifestyle. The first one includes personal adornments, second and third showcase personal belongings, paintings, art, photographs, weapons of offence and defense, hunting and fishing implements. The fourth gallery consists of housing object and agricultural implements. Lastly, the fifth hall boasts an assortment of dance, dhokra items and musical instruments. In total, there are more 1900 artifacts that give a great insight into tribal people, their culture and way of living.

The Udaygiri and Khandagiri caves are one of the earliest Jain rock cut shelters which command a unique position in the file history of rock architecture, art and religion. The Udaygiri (Hill of Sunshine) and Khandagiri (Broken hills) rise abruptly from the coastal plain about 6km west of Bhubaneswar and are separated by a highway.
The Iena or insciptions on the caves are essentially dwelling retreats or cells of the Jain ascetics opening directly to the open space or verandah. Excavated near the top ledge or boulder, the provided dry shelter for meditation and prayer with very little amenities even for small comforts, the height too low to allow a man to stand erect.
A single cell was tenanted by several monks who are austerely plain but their facades are encrusted with sculptures depicting auspicious objects worshipped by Jains, court scenes, royal processions, hunting expeditions and scenes of daily life. The later addition when Jainism no longer enjoyed royal patronage shows 24 Jain tirthankars.
Presently, all the caves have been numbered to avoid confusion in nomenclature.
The caves located on two adjacent hills have a number of finely ornated caves built during 2nd century BCE . The popular belief is that the caves were carved out as residential block for Jaina monks during the reign of King Kharavela.
In total the Udaygiri has a total of 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves.
The cave was most likely to be a center of astronomy and Hindu calendar-related activity, given its sculptures, sundials and inscriptions. Udaygiri’s Hindu history long predates the 4th century.
The caves were likely first modified by King Samudragupta in the mid 4th century and a few decades later reworked on by his descendant Chandragupta II to revitalize the concept of Hindu king to both the paramount sovereign and as the supreme devotee of the god Vishnu.