Bhubaneswar

Overview

Bhubaneswar is the capital city of the Indian state of Odisha. Located in the eastern coastal plains, it is the largest city in the state and serves as its administrative, educational, economic, and cultural centre. Known historically as a temple city for its concentration of medieval Hindu temples, Bhubaneswar today forms part of an urban agglomeration with the neighbouring cities of Cuttack and Puri, sometimes called the Golden Triangle of eastern India.

Key facts

Etymology

The name Bhubaneswar is derived from the Sanskrit Tribhubaneswara, meaning "Lord of the Three Worlds", an epithet of the Hindu deity Shiva, who is enshrined as Tribhuvaneshwara at the Lingaraja Temple in the old city.

History

Ancient period

The region around Bhubaneswar has been continuously inhabited for over two millennia. The site of Sisupalgarh, on the southern outskirts of the modern city, has been identified by archaeologists as a major fortified urban settlement dating to the early historic period. Nearby, the rock-cut caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri contain inscriptions from the reign of the Kalinga emperor Kharavela, including the well-known Hathigumpha inscription.

The plains of Dhauli, a short distance south of the city, are traditionally identified with the site of the Kalinga War fought by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Rock edicts of Ashoka are preserved at Dhauli.

Medieval period

Between roughly the 7th and 13th centuries CE, Bhubaneswar emerged as a major centre of temple building under successive dynasties, including the Shailodbhavas, the Bhauma-Karas, the Somavamshis, and the Eastern Gangas. The Kalinga school of temple architecture matured during this period. The Lingaraja Temple, built largely in the 11th century, is the largest temple in the city and remains an active place of worship. Other notable temples from this era include the Mukteshvara, Rajarani, Parasurameshvara, Vaital Deula, and Brahmeshvara temples.

Modern period

Bhubaneswar was a relatively small settlement at the time of Indian independence in 1947. After Odisha (then Orissa) was reorganised, the capital was shifted from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar, and a new planned capital city was developed adjacent to the old temple town. The master plan for the new city was prepared by the German architect Otto Königsberger in the late 1940s. The capital was formally inaugurated in 1948.

Geography and climate

Bhubaneswar lies in the eastern coastal plains of India, to the west of the Mahanadi river delta and east of the Eastern Ghats. The terrain is gently undulating, with low laterite hills to the west. The Kuakhai river, a distributary of the Mahanadi, flows along the eastern edge of the city.

The city has a tropical savanna climate, with hot and humid summers, a south-west monsoon season from June to September, and mild winters. Bhubaneswar lies in a region periodically affected by tropical cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal; Cyclone Fani in 2019 caused significant damage in the city.

Administration

Civic administration is carried out by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. The city is the headquarters of Khordha district and houses the secretariat of the Government of Odisha, the Odisha Legislative Assembly, and the High Court bench of Odisha is located in Cuttack. Bhubaneswar is part of the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency.

Economy