, covered with erotic ancient carvings, known for its quality of sculptures Bhubaneswar is supposed to have had over one
thousand temples, earning the tag of the 'Temple City of India'. Temples are made in the
Kalinga architectural style with a pine spire that curves up to a point over the sanctum housing the presiding deity and a pyramid-covered hall where people sit and pray. Temples include
Lingaraja Temple,
Muktesvara Temple,
Rajarani Temple,
Ananta Vasudeva Temple. The
Kukutesvara Siva Temple is a small, 1000-year-old shrine to
Shiva. The twin hills of
Khandagiri and Udayagiri, served as the site of an ancient
Jaina monastery which was carved into cave-like chambers in the face of the hill. These caves, with artistic carvings, date back to the 2nd century BCE.
Dhauli hills has major edicts of
Ashoka engraved on a mass of rock and a white
Peace Pagoda, built by the Japan Buddha Sangha and the Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha in the 1970s. Apart from the ancient temples, other important temples were built in recent times including
Ram Mandir and
ISKCON. Bhubaneswar along with Cuttack is the home of the Odia cinema industry, dubbed "
Ollywood", where most of the state's film studios are situated.
Odia culture survives in the form of Classical
Odissi dance, handicrafts, sand artistry and sculpturing as well as theatre and music. Boundary walls and gardens are increasingly being redone to depict the folk art of the state.
Odissi, the oldest of the eight surviving
classical dance forms of India can be traced from archaeological evidence of the temples in Bhubaneswar.
Odissi dance Odissi dance is generally accompanied by
Odissi music. Srjan, the Odissi dance academy founded by Guru
Kelucharan Mohapatra, the legendary Odissi dancer is found here. The Rabindra Mandapa in central Bhubaneswar plays host to cultural engagements, theatre and private functions. dance
Dress and attire Though Odia women traditionally wear the
sari,
shalwar kameez and of late, Western attire is gaining acceptance among younger women. Western-style dress has greater acceptance among men, although the traditional
dhoti and
kurta are seen during festivals. The
Odisha State Museum offers archaeological artefacts, weapons, local arts and crafts as well as insights into Odisha's natural and indigenous history. The
Tribal Research Institute Museum hosts authentic tribal dwellings created by tribal craftsmen.
Nandankanan Zoological Park, located on the northern outskirt of the city, is India's first zoo to join
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The State Botanical Garden (Odisha) and Regional Plant Resource Centre, popularly known as
Ekamra Kanan, a park and botanical garden, has a large collection of exotic and regional fauna. The
Ekamra Haat is a hand-loom and handicrafts market. Nicco Park and Ocean World are amusement parks. Other museums include
Pathani Samanta Planetarium,
Regional Museum of Natural History, Regional Science Centre and State Handicrafts Museum.
Festivals On the day of Ashokashtami in the month of March or April, the image of Lingaraja (Shiva) and other deities are taken in a procession from Lingaraja Temple to the Mausima Temple, where the deities remain for four days. Hundreds of devotees participate in pulling the
temple car that carries the deities, known as
Rukuna Ratha.
Ratha-Yatra, "Temple Car Festival," is the most important festival in Odisha and Bhubaneswar. The festival commemorates Jagannatha, who is said to have been the incarnation of India's revered deities, Vishnu and
Krishna.
Durga Puja, held in September–October, is an occasion for glamorous celebrations. As a part of the Ekamra Festival, many cultural sub-festivals take place in January in Bhubaneswar which includes Kalinga Mahotsaba (for traditional martial arts), Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsaba (for classical dance forms), Rajarani Music Festival (for classical music) and Mukteswara Dance Festival (for Odishi dance). Residents engage in
khattis, or leisurely chats, that often take the form of freestyle intellectual conversation. Other festivals celebrated include
Shivaratri,
Diwali,
Ganesha Chaturthi,
Nuakhai and
Saraswati Puja. Eid and Christmas are celebrated by the religious minorities in the city. The Adivasi Mela, held in January, is a fair that displays the art, artefacts, tradition, culture, and music of the tribal inhabitants of Odisha. The Toshali National Crafts Mela, held in December, showcases handicrafts from all over India and from foreign countries. Other important fairs in the city include the Rajdhani Book Fair, Dot Fest and Khandagiri Utsav. Two international literary festivals are held in the city,
Kalinga Literary Festival and Mystic Kalinga Festival. In modern times, Bhubaneswar hosts a literary festival, the Odisha Literary Fest.
Cuisine , a sweet which originated in Odisha , a sweet of Odisha Key elements of the city's cuisine include rice and a fish curry known as
Machha Jhola, which can be accompanied by desserts such as
Rasagola,
Rasabali,
Chhena Gaja,
Chhena Jhilli and
Chhena Poda. Odisha's large repertoire of seafood dishes includes various preparations of
lobsters and
crabs brought in from
Chilika Lake. Street foods such as
gupchup (a deep-fried crêpe, stuffed with a mix of mashed potatoes and boiled yellow peas, and dipped in tamarind-infused water),
cuttack-chaat,
dahibara aloo dum (a deep-fried doughnut-shaped lentil dumpling marinated in yogurt-infused water and served alongside potato curry) and
bara-ghuguni are sold all over the city. Traditional Oriya food such as
dahi-pakhala (rice soaked in water with yogurt and seasonings) which is considered as a body coolant, accompanied by
badi chura or
saga are consumed during the months of April–June. The
abadha of
Lingaraja Temple and
Ananta Vasudeva Temple served for devotees is considered a vegetarian culinary delight. Other vegetarian dishes are
Dalma (made of lentils and vegetables boiled together and then fried with other spices) and
Santula (lightly spiced steamed vegetables). == Sports ==