Pilgrimages in India -Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Capital of the East Indian State of Orissa, is also termed as the 'Temple City of India'. Hence it is a prime destination among the East Indian pilgrimagedestinations.
Also, the ancient capital of the Kalinga empire Bhubaneswar's history dates back to over 2000 years. It is said to be the seat of Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj' (a form of Lord Shiva). Being one of the pious Hindu pilgrimage sites, hundreds of temples occupy the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more than 2000 temples. It was here that the Orissa style temple building activities emerged and had risen to become a full-fledged art, over a period of more than one thousand years.
History of the temple:
"Bhubaneswar" meaning the “abode of God” or “master of the universe” was also, once known as the ‘Cathedral of the East’ as a large number of shrines was present. It was also regarded as one among the prominent pilgrimage sites in India. At one time, the Bindu Sagar tank was bordered by over 7000 temples, of which 500 still exist, all built in the extravagant Oriya style. These are old age temples which has made this city one of the religious sites in India thronged by thousands of people.
Various people have inhabited the land of Orissa since times immemorial. Initially, the occupants were primitive hill tribes like Saora or Sabar from the Mahabharata days.  Most of the tribal people had followed Hindu customs and ceremonies. Untouched to changes with time, the tribal traditions have been in place through the ages. Bhubaneshwar hence is known for possessing the maximum number of places of worship in India.
The most important tourist attractions of the city are the temples of:

• Laxmaneswar, Satrughaneswar and Bharateswar from 6th century,
• Parsurameswar and Swarnajaleswar from 7th century
• Vaital from 8th century
• Mukteswar from 10th century
• Brahmeswar, Rajarani and Lingaraj from 11th century and.

Ananta Vasudeva from 13th century.