Being Local in Bhubaneswar

A beautiful morning in Bhubaneswar. The modern city is very well planned with large sidewalks and flower beds along side. This is ofcourse the high street with all brands and Govt buildings in the vicinity. 

Shopping 🛍️ at Boyanika. Where ever we travel we bring back memories. Some momento shopping is integral part of keeping memories. I bought a saree and  running material here.

AND with that last coffee on the curb side we said farewells. Farewell Odisha!

Next day for morning flight Sai dropped me at the airport. Those 12 days in Odisha were packed with so many memories. It has taken 2 month for me to post it all. Hope you enjoyed watching and reading the experience through my eyes. Do let me know what you think?

📷 @mycookingcanvas

Adivasi Mela 2024

This was a surprise! Sai @mycookingcanvas had told me to keep my last day free. I thought it was to shop and pack up. Then she took me to this Adivasi mela. It was a lovely conclusion to my Odisha trip. Enjoy the visual. @saswati_gypsytraveller and @prativa_oct came to say bye bye to me. What this trip taught me is to open your heart to new people build friendships. Accept the love and give back double the love you get. Thank you my dear friends for this enriching experience! 🤗😘🤗😘🤗😘

A bungalow in Bhubaneswar

 

Mangala Jodi, Cuttack and Pahala all in one day! We were tired and returned home. Home in Bhubaneswar? 

Yes! As I always do in the last leg on my journey to experience local life I booked into an AirBnB. It was a lovely bungalow owned by a Doctor in Bhouma nagar. A quaint little place. The home was clinical clean 😃. 

After staying in 5 star to come to a spotless home in an old world bungalow is so comforting. It had a big kitchen with the best appliances. One could have cooked if not doing all the exploring outside. The living room had recliners which we snuggled into. Also as soon as We got there we were happy to have separate bedrooms. This home could accommodate 4 guests easily. On the days here we drank lots of tea as it was chilly and skipped dinner. 

That’s Sai nursing her drink 🥃 while I was warming my hands on a tea brewed by her for me.

I recommend this place with a happy heart💕

Udaygiri and Khandgiri

 

Udaygiri and Khandgiri a set of hills that is just outside Bhubaneswar. Like I said before there are several places in Bhubaneswar and nearby that one can explore that it is a delight for tourists who love heritage.

Udaygiri or Kumari parvat has many natural and man made caves that are carved out in the hills as a monastery for Jains. The development of these caves started in the 1st BCE during the reign of King Kharavela. We see credits in the Haathi gumpha edicts even though weathered some parts are still legible. The script is Prakirt.

We occupied the throne created here for the visiting Queen or King. It is part of the Rani Gumpha the largest two storied cave with interesting carving of Kalinga war depicting women warriors fighting along with men against Emperor Ashok. The women can be identified by their curvaceous bodies and anklets and men with unadorned feet and square cut bodies. 

Daily life in the 1st century 

Hunting party

The double decker Rani Gumpha with fantastic torana

Our most entertaining guide 

Whose throne is this?

The echo used for amplification of chanting or broadcast?

This ornately decorated single cell and the warrior mutilated by KalaPahad 😡

Chota haathi Gumpha 

Baajghar the bunker with a built in bed 🛏️ and pillows. 

There is also the rasoi ghar and the tiger 🐯 face single cell. Most of the structures have dwarpals. They are not just decorations but act as deterrents for attackers, animals and even men. 

Leaving this incomplete because I want you to go explore this place. There is so much to learn especially about the Jain culture that still exists here. To get new perspectives that history books don’t teach. 

Watch this video on my Instagram @swachchanda

Later we enjoyed some chaat in Bhubaneswar. Read about it on my food blog AnnaParabrahma. 

Exploring Janpath, Ram Mandir and Lunch at Nimantran

After Dhauli I returned to Bhubaneswar city. I needed to buy shoes so I decided to explore Janpath. Sai the deeply caring girl she is sent me location links for the Sketchers shop. She also directed me to have lunch at the OTDC Restaurant Nimantran. 

I very quickly picked a slip in pair that would be good for walking and also for temple visits so I don’t touch the shoes and so there wouldn’t be a need to wash my hands every time.

Just across the road in the same area is Ram Mandir. I decided to go in for darshan. It was time for Aarti and I was lucky to attend it. The Ram Lakshman Sita were resplendent. In another 2 days Shree Ram Lalla’s punaraagman was going to take place in Ayodhya so every Ram mandir in the country had a heightened energy brought by pilgrims and devotees. It felt peaceful. After the Aarti the temple was closed for the afternoon. I experienced grace of Shree Ram!

Later I went to Nimantran for lunch as it just opened service for the day. It is an Odisha Tourism’s flagship restaurant. Read more about it on my food blog AnnaParaBrahma.

Closing with a dessert like the Odia do,  that is Chenna jhilli! 

Solo to Dhauli Shanti Stupa

20 Jan 2024

The second day of my Odisha trip started solo. Just like the previous day. The girls and I decided that I do the morning travels solo and that they would join me post lunch to explore Udaygiri and Khandgiri. 

This day on I hired a car to keep through my travels. Sai had made arrangements for the car and driver. So I got a pick up at the Hotel La Franklin where I was staying. 

It took just 30 mins to reach Dhauli or Dhavalgiri hills. It was a beautiful morning and the ride enjoyable. Parked the car and walked up to the stupa. There were many buses parked there and I expected a rush. The many photographers chasing pilgrims and tourists. I decided to request for one on the way back. That is the first picture in this post. The rest were all taken on my phone.

The Stupa was built in the early 1970s with help of  Japanese 🇯🇵 patronage. It is surrounded by panels depicting Buddhist stories from history. The epic one on Ashok surrendering the sword after the war of Kalinga at the feet of Buddha is very moving. 

This is the land of Kalinga and the war was fought here. Ashok won the war but against whom? is not known however the answer might lie in the edicts at Udaygiri. The Kalinga war costed 2.5 lakh deaths. It was the bloodiest of all battles. That had blood flowing with the river. The Daya river had turned red say some accounts of the war. The land is still red and fertile. It’s a beautiful view to see from the hill top stupa and Mandir as we reflect on the futility of war. 

There are edicts that tell the administration about Dandaniti or systems of law to help govern the new kingdom and hence warning people of repercussions of revolt. Locals say that this indicates that Ashok was victorious and offering the victory at Buddha’s feet of spreading Buddhism and not because he was repentant. Interesting isn’t it? 

Behind the stupa on another hill is the Dhauleeshwar mandir a dedication to Shiva. 

I bought Kaju at Dhauli as Sai had recommended them for good quality. 

Mukteshvar Dance Festival

The grand finale to 19 Jan 2024 my first day travel in Odisha was at the Mukteshvar Dance Festival organised by the state government. 

The temple complex made an ethereal backdrop to this extravaganza of dance in the wonderful lights. 

We were very tired so attended only for an hour and left early. Grateful to have been in Bhubaneswar at the right time for this fantastic dance festival. 

Odissi is one of my favourite forms of dance. It is so graceful yet difficult. The dancers always stand in bow legged positions to depict the beautiful sculptures on the temples! 

The Filigree jewellery they wear and the Sambhalpuri sarees all need to be bought to add to my collection I made a note to myself 😁

The story of Karna made us wince. Hope they performed a Ras Leela to lighten the air. Loved the oud they burnt to eradicate mosquitoes but also created a wonderful ambience.

All 📸 by Sai Priya @mycookingcanvas