Orissa‚s splendid monuments and sculptures, golden beaches, swift rivers, azure lakes, roaring waterfalls, verdant hills and wildlife parks are beckoning a growing number of visitorsIn the popular perception, the eastern seaboard state of Orissa (pop. 36 million) known mainly for the Puri Jagannath and Konark Sun temples and ancient cultural landmarks is a distant place, situated somewhere out there in the great Indian outback. Formerly the epicentre of the historic Kalinga kingdom of Emperor Ashoka, Orissa with its 4,000 stunningly-crafted monuments, famed archaeological sites, early Jain cave temples, Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples, mosques, forts, palaces and splendid colonial architecture, is re-impacting itself upon the national consciousness as a tourism destination. Little is known about the state‚s early history except that the region was originally inhabited by the Buiya and Gond tribals. Circa 400 BC the region was united under the Kalinga dynasty which established a fiercely indepen-dent kingdom. In 260 BC Emperor Ashoka (273-232 BC) of the neighbouring Mauryan empire based in Pataliputra invaded and subdued Kalinga after a long and bloody war of conquest. The conquest of Kalinga was also a turning point for Ashoka, who, angu-ished by the horror and destruction of the war, converted to Buddhism and established one of the most peaceful and prosperous kingdoms in Indian history. Later in the second century, the Kharavela dynasty established a strong rule over the region and built numerous temples. From 400-1000 AD the region was administered by the Gupta, Bhaumakara and the Soma dynasties followed by the Gangas (1100-1200). During the late 13th century, the Delhi sultanate established suzerainty over the region and continued to rule until 16th century, when it was conquered by the Mughals. Following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the Nawab of Bengal took over and ruled the state till its cessation to the British East India Company in 1803. It was only in 1949, two years after India attained independence, that the present state of Orissa was constituted. After independence despite many years of rule of its dashing chief minister the late Biju Patnaik, and numerous natural resources including huge copper and lignite reserves, Orissa has hardly moved up the socio-economic ladder. With a per capita income of only Rs.11,858 per annum, this eastern seaboard state with its large tribal and dalit population, has remained cut off from mainstream India and flashes on the national consciousness only when it is visited by famine, flood and other natural disasters.However, in the new era of incremental domestic and international tourism, Orissa‚s kaleidoscopic culture, splendid architecture, monuments and sculptural art, as also its golden beaches, swift rivers, azure lakes, roaring waterfalls, verdant hills and wildlife parks have begun to attract a growing number of visitors.BhubaneswarThe state‚s capital, Bhubaneswar ‚ its landscape studded with over a hundred ancient temples ‚ is the gateway to the cultural wealth of Orissa. The town (pop. 6.2 lakh) derives its name from the Sanskrit word Tribhuvaneswara, synonymous with Lord Shiva. Against this multi-hued tapestry of history, and the soaring sandstone…
