As your City of Temples marks the 71st year of its existence, we at Odisha Bytes thought it was time you ran a check on how well you know your city. Here are some facts about this smart city:
- It was on this day, April 13, 1948, when first Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the city after it was planned by German architect Otto Konigsberger
- Bhubaneswar has been known by names such as Toshali, Kalinga Nagari, Nagar Kalinga, Chakra Kshetra, Ekamra Kanan, Ekamra Kshetra and Mandira Malini Nagari (“City of Temples”)
- The modern city was designed by Königsberger in 1946. Along with Jamshedpur and Chandigarh, it was one of modern India’s first planned cities
- Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital in 1948
- The city was the ancient capital of the Kalinga Empire.
- Bhubaneswar was first mentioned during the Kalinga War near Dhauli in the 3rd century BC. Later, Emperor Kharavela established his capital at Sisupalgarh, on the outskirts of the modern city
- The Kalinga war, which was fought between Mauryan King Ashoka and the independent state of Kalinga in the 3rd century BC, saw so much bloodshed that it pained King Ashoka, who then became a monk, changing from Chandashoka to Dhamashoka Therefore, Bhubaneswar is referred to as the place which changed Ashoka forever.
- One can find several mentions of the Kalinga tribe, which inhabited the region thousands of years ago, in the epic Mahabharata. It will not be wrong to call Bhubaneswar one of the oldest places in India
- The Hathigumpha inscriptions at the Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves by Kharavela give a good account of that period, which is estimated as 1st–2nd century BCE.
- Bhubaneswar derived its name from Tribhubaneswar, which literally means the lord of the three worlds (Tribhuban), which refers to Shiva.
- The temples in Bhubaneswar are regarded as having been built from the 8th to 12th centuries under Shaiva influence.
- Bhubaneswar forms a golden tourism triangle with Puri and Konark
- It is called the temple city of India for a reason. As per historical records, it was once home to thousands of temples. Today, Bhubaneswar still houses hundreds of temples; some dating back to several centuries. Prominent ones include Lingaraj Temple and Rajarani Temple
- In the Smart City proposal, Bhubaneswar stood number one among the best cities of India with a score of 78.83 points
- Bhubaneswar has become a hub of start-ups over a period of time. As per recent reports, it will soon overtake Bangalore as the city with the most number of start-ups running successfully
- It is also an emerging IT hub
- Bhubaneswar is famous for its local cuisine. There are several dishes and sweets which are believed to have originated within the boundaries of Bhubaneswar. The list includes Pahala Rasgulla and Chenna Gaja
- The city is bound by the Daya River to the south and the Kuakhai River to the east, the Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary and Nandankanan Zoo lie to the west and north
