India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (389 page)

By Train
The best train from Delhi is the
Rajdhani Express,
but the trip is lengthy—25 hours—and departures are only 2 days per week; other trains may take 30 to 42 hours. From Kolkata, the
Howrah-Puri Express
is the most convenient (it’s overnight); however, the quickest is the
Faluknama Express
(under 7 hr.). Puri is 11⁄2 hours from Bhubaneswar, and there is regular train service between the two cities. For inquiries and reservations, your best bet is to see a travel agent or to visit the train reservation office personally (see chapter 3).

By Road
If you want to drive or bus it here from Kolkata (500km/310 miles away), count on spending 13 hours propped up in your seat.

GETTING AROUND
By Taxi & Auto-Rickshaw
Auto-rickshaws in Bhubaneswar are unusually comfortable and well maintained. Drivers are genuinely helpful, if sometimes unable to understand you. Taxis from Bhubaneswar to Puri or Konark are readily available; for taxi excursions, be clear about the duration of your journey, and the sights you wish to cover. Hiring a car and driver is a good way to save time. Try
Mercury Travels
at the Trident Hilton (Nayapalli;
0674/230-1010,
ext. 49),
or
Swosti Travels
(103 Janpath;
0674/253-5773
or -5771)—each of which handles flights, car rentals, and tours of the state. Inexpensive full-day coach tours of the city and the entire Golden Triangle region are administered by the
O.T.D.C. Head Office
(
0674/243-2382;
www.orissa-tourism.com
), but these are targeted at domestic visitors.

Tip:
Heritage Tours
(
www.heritagetoursorissa.com
) is a reputable outfit with years of experience. Located at the entrance of the Mayfair Beach Resort in Puri, it specializes in “Lifestyle Tours” (including learning trips on such subjects as yoga, Odissi dance, Ayurveda, stone carving, and sand sculpting) as well as rural and tribal excursions. Besides organizing every aspect of trips lasting anything from 1 to 20 days, Heritage Tours also deals with ticketing and transportation matters.

Bhubaneswar’s Top Attractions

In the heart of Bhubaneswar’s Old Town, the most important temples—almost all Shaivite—are clustered around
Bindusagar
Lake,
a holy reservoir believed to hold water from each and every holy river and lake in India. Of the 7,000 temples that are said to have once surrounded the tank, only around 500 remain. Traditionally, pilgrims perform their ablutions in the lake before heading into the temples to perform
puja
(a ritual of respect, such as prayer). The best are easily visited in a morning (more than three or four is overkill), leaving you time to explore some of the outlying sights during the afternoon.

The best of the city’s Nagara-style temples (7th c. and 12th c.
A.D.
) are testament to both a radical resurgence of Hinduism and Buddhist defeat—frequently represented in temple sculptures by the image of a lion lunging for an elephant. With the exception of wonderful
Rajarani Temple
(see below), all of those worth visiting are living temples. The best are magnificently carved
Mukteshwar Temple
—the 10th-century “Gem of Orissan Architecture,” where a squat, cobra-protected lingam stands in the sanctum sanctorum—and
Lingaraj Temple;
although the
complex is off-limits to non-Hindus, you can admire it from a well-known vantage point, a raised platform built by the British, where you’ll be harassed by a hood with a phony register of donations from other foreigners (ignore his advances and mention the police). If you have time, make a stop at the well-preserved 7th-century
Parasurameswar Temple (Brahmeswar),
for its lavish carvings, including a number of amorous couples. For something more “exotic,” visit
Vaital Temple
and view its creepy tantric carvings; you’ll need a flashlight to see the images of humans being put to death while the goddess Chamunda looks on.

Chilka Lake
A unique ecosystem of marine, brackish, and fresh water, this Wetlands of International Importance is a haven for migratory birds: Come in October and the 1,100 sq. km (429 sq. miles) of Asia’s largest brackish water lake resound with the delightful cacophony of thousands of birds. Besides birdlife, the lake has pods of dolphins and a central island with an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Kalijai. There isn’t much infrastructure around, so best to keep it as a day trip, preferably from Puri. Contact the Orissa tourism office
(
0674/243-2382;
www.orissa-tourism.com
) for help in planning your trip.

Best time to visit: Oct–Mar.

Dhauli
The glistening, white-domed
Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda)
at the top of Dhauli Hill is visible from the main road as you head toward this site, where historic Ashokan rock edicts are carved. Guarded by pale yellow Ashokan lions, the Kalinga World Peace Pagoda is a celebration of Ashoka’s decision, 2,300 years ago, to renounce violence and war and embrace Buddhism—a decision made in the wake of his massacre against the Kalinga people, then rulers of Orissa. A plaque here notes that Ashoka built 84,000
stupas
(commemorative cairns), some as far away as Greece.

Free admission. Daily 5am–8pm.

Museum of Tribal Art and Artifacts
Everything connected with the life of Orissa’s tribal people is on display in the exhibition rooms at this newly built museum decorated with primitive murals. Traditional costumes, jewelry, household appliances, and hunting equipment such as bows and arrows, axes, and traps for birds and fish indicate the ways of life of the tribal peoples of Orissa.