Orissa, the land of the Oriyas, was known as "Kalinga" in ancient times. Its capital today is Bhubaneshwar. In the 3rd century BC (268 BC), Ashoka the great Mauryan ruler of the same dynasty, sent a powerful army to annex Kalinga into his empire. The battle of Kalinga was fierce and bloody. It led to much destruction and carnage. Kalinga was subdued by Ashoka at Dhaulagiri near Bhubaneshwar, but so was his heart, because after seeing the aftermath of the war, he felt great remorse. Seeing the ephemeral nature of everything earthly and the uselessness of running after it, he converted to Buddhism and spent the rest of his life spreading the light of Buddhist teachings far and wide. (The battleground is marked by a rock edict and a pillar at Dhuli, 5 km from Bhubaneshwar). His philosophy of life now was peace and therefore in addition to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism also co-existed during the Mauryan Dynasty.

After the death of Ashoka, Kalinga regained independence. In the second century BC, it became a powerful country under the Kharvelas. The Kharvela king was a fervent Jain, who extended his empire. Description of his capital and kingdom remain recorded for posterity in the Udayagiri caves near Bhubaneshwar, through inscriptions and carvings. Many of the Jain caves were built under his and his Queen's patronage.

With the death of Kharvela, Orissa passed into obscurity. In the fourth century AD, Samudragupta invaded Orissa, which lay in his path of conquest, and overcame resistance offered by five of its kings. In 610 AD, King Sasanka, an able ruler, ruled Orissa. After Sasanka's death, Orissa came under the sway of Harsha.

Orissa had its own independent dynasty of rulers in the 7th century AD. This period was also an epoch making period of temple construction activities in Bhubaneshwar under the Kesaris (7th-12 century). In 795 AD, Mahasiva Gupta Yayati II came to the throne, and with him began the most brilliant chapter in the history of Orissa.

He was responsible for uniting Utkal, Kostala, Kangoda and Kalinga in the imperial tradition of Khasvela. The streak of the golden period in the history of Orissa continued under the kings of the Ganga dynasty (12th-15th century). The kings of this dynasty who were affluent due to trade etc., made and supported ambitious programs of developing temple architecture. They were responsible for the Jagannath Puri temple and the Sun temple at Konark, which was built under the patronage of king Nara Singha Dev.

From the 14th century, Orissa was ruled successfully by five Muslim kings till 1592, when Akbar annexed it to the Mughal empire. This period saw the destruction of temples in Bhubaneshwar and Puri.

In 1936 Orissa was made into a separate province by the state's merger order (Governor's provinces) of 1949. Princely states in and around Orissa surrendered their sovereignty to the Government of India and merged with the state of Orissa on 19th August 1949 (after India’s independence in 1947).

Orissa is situated in the northeastern section of the Indian Peninsula, between 17o 28', East Longitude, slightly arched by the placid blue waters of the Bay of Bengal on the East. Orissa is bounded on the North by Bihar, on the West by Madhya Pradesh, on the North-East by West Bengal and on the South by Andhra Pradesh. The state can be divided into four distinct geographical regions, each with different and unique characteristics i.e., Coastal plains, Eastern hills, the Central river basin and the Northern plateau.

Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa is the land of temples. During ancient times, there were nearly 2,000 temples out of which only 500 survive today. The ravages of nature and the large scale destruction of the temples by the Muslim invaders, has led to the drastic fall in the number of temples existing today in Bhubaneshwar.

Turist Attraction:

Bhubaneswar

This city of Temples is well known for exquisitely carved temples like Lingaraj temple, Mukteswar temple, Rajarani temple and many more. The city is bustling with Educational & Research Institutions, hospitals, IT related establishments and climatically favourable place. Other places of interest in and around the city are Dhauli, khandagiri & Udaygiri, Nandankanan.

Dhauli
Famous for the historic rock edict of Ashoka and the place of Kalinga. The Shanti Stupa – a 20th century structure by Japanese collaboration has great aesthetic appeal.

Khandagiri & Udayagiri
Known for well carved, polished Jain caves and rock edict of Kharavela. Most famous caves are Hati Gumpha ( Elephant cave) and Rani Gumpha (Queen’s cave).

Nandankanan
A beautiful natural setting is carved out of Chandaka Forest is one of the finest parks in the country. The white tiger safari, lion safari and many endangered species attract the attention of visitors. Boating, Toy trains, Cable cars and the Botanical garden are the added attractions.

Chilka
Largest inland lake of the country and this brackish water lagoon is home to diversified classes of fauna. This is also an important sanctuary and water resort for migratory birds. Other places of interest in and around Chilka are :

Parikuda and Maluda:
Populous island inside the lake.

Kalijai:
Rocky Island associated with many legends.

Satapada:
A retreat in the bosom of nature to witness thrilling sights of Dolphins.

Konark
Famous Konark temple here, is conceived has a gigantic chariot for ‘Sun God’. This ‘Black Pagoda’ ‘The Epic on Stone’ is a superb architectural monument bustling with power and grace beside the enchanted shoreline. Other places of interest in and around Konark is:

Chandrabhaga:
The beach here is longed for the scenes of sunrise on sea.

Puri
Famous for the temple of Lord Sri Jagannath. A tourist destination for the Golden beach with Sun, Sea and Surf. This ancient town is one of the pithas established by Shankaracharya. Other places of interest in and around this pilgrim town are:

Sakhigopal Temple:
This temple is well known for worship of Radha and Krishna.

Lokanath Temple:
This temple at Puri is the seat of Lord Shiva.

Bhitarakanika
This marine sanctuary of 672 sq.kms. is in the estuary of Brahmani River. This mangrove-dominated sanctuary harbours a wide variety of reptiles, birds and mammals.

Nrusimhanath Temple
The 15th century temple at the foot of Gandhamardan mountain is a famous pilgrimage destination.


Simlipal
One of the biggest wild life sanctuaries of the country well known for its sylvian beauty of valleys and waterfalls. This mesmerize the visitors. Other places in and around Simlipal are:

Barehipani:
The waterfall within a thrilling surrounding amuses visitors.

Joranda:
This waterfall is also full of amazing sights.

Chahala:
A place to witness wild life li