Bhubaneshwar

Bhubaneshwar, city in eastern India and capital of Orissa state. Bhubaneshwar lies on the main highway linking Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and Chennai (formerly Madras) and comprises an ancient city and a planned town built after 1948, when Bhubaneshwar was chosen to replace Cuttack as the administrative center of Orissa. Bhubaneshwar is an important center of tourism and pilgrimage; hundreds of Hindu temples built between the 7th and 16th centuries are located in the old city. These include the Lingaraj Temple, one of the finest in Orissa. Modern Bhubaneshwar is the seat of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (founded in 1962) and Utkal University (1943). It also has the state museum. Jain and Buddhist temples near the town indicate the area has been settled since before 200 bc. In the 5th century Bhubaneshwar became a Hindu provincial capital; it served as the capital of the Kalinga Empire from the 7th to 11th centuries. Population (2001) 657,477.