History of Bhubaneswar

The capital city of Bhubaneswar got its name from the Sanskrit word Tribhuvaneswara, the other name of Lord Shiva.

This very Bhubaneswar had been the capital of the ancient Kalinga. The epoch-making Kalinga War, in which Emperor Ashok (272-236BC) himself participated, took place in the 'temple city'. The excess of bloodshed and casualities of the War had made the Emperor take a vow to forego the sword and to win through love and compassion instead.

When Kharvela became the ruler in the 1st century BC, Bubhaneswar was a prime centre of activities. This period was marked by construction of innumerable monastery caves of which Udaygiri are the finest specimen. The Ganga and Kesari kingdoms contributed heavily in the development of the culture of Orissa. The most common feature of all the rulers was that most of them took effort in building beautiful temples. The Marathas, Afghans and the British created a deeper historical impact which needs special mentioning.