Honest local detail, hand-picked tours and everything you need to plan the Old Town, the ancient caves and Odisha’s Golden Triangle.
Nowhere in India can you trace a temple style from its first experiments to its masterpieces as clearly as in Bhubaneswar. The 7th-century Parasurameswara, the 10th-century Mukteswar and the 11th-century Lingaraj stand within a few kilometres of each other in the Old Town — and the story ends 65 km away, at the Sun Temple of Konark.
Add 2,000-year-old Jain caves, the hill where Emperor Ashoka renounced war, an excellent state museum, Odia food and crafts, and the pilgrim city of Puri on the coast, and you have one of India’s most rewarding and least crowded cultural regions. This guide shows you how to see it well.
Hand-picked experiences booked through GetYourGuide — city temple tours, Konark and Puri day trips, and the Golden Triangle. Prices are indicative starting points; tap any tour for live availability.
Private day trip from US$133 The best single day you can plan here: the great Kalinga temples of Bhubaneswar in the cooler morning, then the drive to Konark for the Sun Temple’s carved wheels and horses. A private car and guide means you set the pace — and the reviews so far are uniformly excellent.
City tour from US$102 Everything inside the city limits in one well-paced day: the Old Town temples, the rock-cut Jain monasteries on Udayagiri and Khandagiri hills, and the white peace pagoda at Dhauli above the battlefield of the Kalinga War. Hotel pickup included.
Private day trip from US$88 A relaxed private day that pairs Konark’s colossal stone chariot with a stop in Pipili, whose lanes are hung with the bright appliqué canopies, lanterns and umbrellas made for Jagannath’s festivals. Leaves around 8:30 am, back mid-afternoon.
Private day trip from US$94 Starts with the small, exquisitely carved early temples of Bhubaneswar — Parasurameswara and Mukteswar — then heads 60 km to the coast for Puri, the Jagannath Temple and the sea. A good pick if Konark is already on another day of your plan.
Private day trip from US$136 per group A full private day in the holy city of Puri: the Jagannath Temple, the Gundicha Temple at the other end of the Grand Road where the deities rest during Rath Yatra, and the long beaches of Golden Beach and Swargadwar. Priced per group of up to three, which makes it good value for families.
Multi-day tour from US$330 per group Odisha’s classic circuit handled for you: the Temple City, the Sun Temple and Jagannath’s Puri over three unhurried days, with hotels, transport and some meals included. Split between four people, it is one of the best-value ways to see the region.
Private tour from US$85 Konark’s great tower collapsed centuries ago; this tour uses an augmented-reality experience to put it back, so you can see what the 13th-century builders actually achieved. The guide then walks you round the wheels, the horses and the dancing-hall carvings.
Private day trip A full day out from Puri to Chilika, the vast lagoon south of the city. You take a boat out to look for the lake’s rare Irrawaddy dolphins, stop at the island shrine of Kalijai and eat fresh lake seafood before heading back.
Real-time prices and availability for Bhubaneswar, Konark, Puri and Chilika, straight from GetYourGuide.
The Old Town temples are the heart of it, but the caves, Dhauli, Konark, Puri and Chilika turn a stopover into a proper trip.
Old Town temples The great tower of the Temple City
Bhubaneswar’s largest and holiest temple, an 11th-century masterpiece whose 55-metre tower dominates the Old Town. Hindus may enter the walled compound of more than a hundred shrines; everyone else sees it from a viewing platform beside the wall.
Old Town temples The gem of Odishan architecture
A small 10th-century temple famous for its carved sandstone torana arch and the most delicate sculpture in the city. Open to everyone, set in a garden with the Siddheswar temple and a sacred tank beside it.
Around Bhubaneswar Jain monasteries cut into the rock
Two sandstone hills on the western edge of the city, honeycombed with rock-cut cells carved for Jain monks more than 2,000 years ago. The two-storey Rani Gumpha and King Kharavela’s Hathigumpha inscription are the highlights.
Around Bhubaneswar Where Ashoka turned to peace
A hill above the Daya river, traditionally identified with the aftermath of the Kalinga War of around 261 BCE. Emperor Ashoka’s rock edicts are carved here beneath a sculpted elephant, and a white Peace Pagoda built in the 1970s crowns the top.
Golden Triangle & beyond A stone chariot for the Sun God
The 13th-century temple built as the chariot of Surya, with 24 carved stone wheels and seven horses, listed by UNESCO in 1984. It sits near the coast 65 km from Bhubaneswar and is the peak of the Kalinga style — and the essential day trip.
Golden Triangle & beyond Lord Jagannath’s city by the sea
One of Hinduism’s four holiest dhams, the 12th-century Jagannath Temple towers over the seaside town of Puri, 60 km from Bhubaneswar. Only Hindus may enter, but the town, the Grand Road, the beach and the famous Rath Yatra are open to all.
Garden resorts and central business hotels in the capital, beach hotels in Puri — compared, with live rates on Trip.com.
Bhubaneswar’s best-known resort hotel: cottages and rooms around a lagoon-style garden, a big pool and several restaurants, a short drive from the Old Town.
A calm, low-rise luxury hotel in fourteen acres of lawns and orchards, with only around sixty rooms — the quietest top-end address in the city.
Reliable upper-midscale rooms with a pool, a few minutes’ drive from Udayagiri and Khandagiri — good value for a well-run chain hotel.
Our ranked pick of city tours, Konark and Puri day trips and multi-day itineraries.
Flights, trains and roads into the city, and how to get around once you arrive.
Month-by-month heat, monsoon rain and the festivals worth planning around.
Bhubaneswar’s Old Town, Konark’s stone chariot and Jagannath’s Puri form Odisha’s Golden Triangle, all within 65 km of each other. Compare guided tours and day trips and book in a couple of taps.
Yes — it has the finest concentration of medieval Hindu temples in eastern India, 2,000-year-old Jain caves and Ashoka’s edicts at Dhauli, and it is the gateway to Konark and Puri. It is also far less crowded than India’s better-known heritage cities. See our sights guide.
Two full days cover the city: one for the Old Town temples and museum, one for the caves and Dhauli. Add a day each for Konark and Puri — the classic Golden Triangle takes three to four days. Our travel guide has sample itineraries.
Most of them, yes: Mukteswar, Parasurameswara, Rajarani, Brahmeswara and Konark are open to everyone. The Lingaraj Temple and Puri’s Jagannath Temple admit only Hindus; non-Hindus can view Lingaraj from a platform beside its wall.
Bhubaneswar, Konark and Puri — three great temple sites within about 65 km of each other. You can see all three on a guided tour, or base yourself in Bhubaneswar and Puri and do day trips.
October to March, when days are warm and dry. April to June is very hot, and the June–September monsoon brings heavy rain. See best time to visit.