Introduction:

Orissa, one of the most picturesque states in East India is well known about its tribes, temples, beautiful landscapes and wild life. As a matter of fact Orissa is the third most tribal concentrated place and plays host to nearly 62 tribes. A very important place in Orissa which is truly a landmark is Puri. This place is India’s most important pilgrimage centers and is dominated by the ‘Jagannath Temple’. Nestling on the eastern coast along the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal,the unique State of Orissa offers to her guests a 'tourism capsule' containing magnificient temples, sunny beaches,colourful wild life, traditional tribal culture and a rich heritage. Shivaji, the great Maratha leader, was raised in Pune, which was granted to his grandfather in 1599. Later it became the seat of power for the Brahmin Peshwa family until 1817 when it fell to the british and became their alternative capital during the monsoon. Pune (pronounced and often spelt 'Poona') has a rather more pleasant climate than muggy Mumbai. With fast (but full) express commuter trains connecting Pune to Mumbai in less than four hours, many people who can't afford the sky-high prices of accommodation in Mumbai commute daily between the two cities. As a result, big city influence has rubbed off on Pune, and fashion shops and fast-food outlets are constantly springing up. Pune boast a prestigious university(styling itself as the 'Oxford of the East'), and is a major industrial centre. For many western visitors, the city's major attraction is the Osho Commune International, better known as the ashram of Bhagwan Rajneesh. To her credit, it has housed the important pilgrimage centre for the Hindus - Puri, the 13th century magic carved on sand stone - Konark, the largest brackish water lake of the continent - Chilika, the wonder green land of the white tigers - Nandankanan, and many more caves, Chaityas, Stupas.temples, forts and palaces. Statistics says most of the visitors frequent this place for Lord Jagannath and the blue bay. Popularly known as the "Temple City of India", it is the seat of 'Tribhubaneshwar’ or 'Lord Lingaraj', the Lord of the Three Worlds – the God Shiva.


Bhubaneshwar - konark:
The skyline of old Bhubaneshwar has temple spires extending tall fingers into the clouds with saffron pennants announcing the all-encompassing presence of Hinduism. New Bhubaneshwar with its modern buildings and extensive infrastructure perfectly blends into the religious ambience.
The beautiful sun temple built in the 13th century in honour of the sun god, contains exquisite carvings, life sized lions and elephants, colossal figures of warriors on horses, scenes of battle and chase - all carved with great imagination and skill, testify to the high standard of ancient indian art and engineering skill and visit the finest temples - lingaraj, rajarani, mukteswar, brahmeswar and parasurameswar. These temples are some of the best specimens of the orissan temple architecture, visit Udaigiri Caves famous dhauli hills.