Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chhedi dynasty (around 2nd century BCE) who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital. Historically Bhubaneswar has been known by different names such as Toshali, Kalinga Nagari, Nagar Kalinga, Ekamra Kanan, Ekamra Kshetra and Mandira Malini Nagari (City of Temples) otherwise known as the Temple City of India. Bhubaneswar, literally means the Lord (Eeswar) of the Universe (Bhuban). It is the largest city of Odisha, and a center of economic & religious importance in the region today.
Bhubaneswar's proud possession of magnificent sculptures and architectural heritage, coupled with the sanctity as Ekamrakshetra make this one of the great religious centres of Orissa since early medieval days. With its large number of Hindu temples (over 600 in number), which span the entire spectrum of Kalinga architecture, Bhubaneswar is often referred to as a Temple City of India and together with Puri and Konark it forms the Swarna Tribhuja (Golden Triangle); one of the most visited destinations in East India.
The modern city of Bhubaneswar was designed by the German architect Otto Königsberger in 1966. Like Jamshedpur, Chandigarh, it is one of the first planned cities of modern India. With the Chandaka reserve forest on the fringes, the city with an abundance of in-city greenery and an efficient civic body (the BMC- Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation), is one of the cleanest and greenest cities of India.
Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the political capital of the state of Orissa in 1968, 21 years after India gained its independence from Britain. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are often commonly together known as the twin-cities of Orissa. The metropolitan area formed by the twin cities has a 2011 population of 1.4 million. Bhubaneswar is categorized as a Tier-2 city. An emerging Information Technology (IT) hub, the boom in the metals and metal processing industries have made Bhubaneswar one of the fastest developing cities of India in recent years.
The city of Bhubaneswar can be broadly divided into following parts- the old town area, the planned city, the added areas and the Greater Bhubaneswar area. The neighbourhoods in Bhubaneswar can also be divided according to the geographical location of the place.
North Bhubaneswar
The northern Bhubaneswar roughly constitute the areas lying north of National Highway 5 till Patia. Most of these areas have developed a few years ago and not the part of the original master plan of the city made in 1968.
- Chandrasekharpur
- Damana
- Infocity
- Sailasree Vihar
- Niladri Vihar
- Rail Vihar
- Nalco Nagar
- Gajapati Nagar
- Bani Vihar
- Salia Sahi
- Jaydev Vihar
- IRC Village
- Patia
Central Bhubaneswar
- A G Colony
- Acharjya Bihar
- Ashok Nagar (Unit-2)
- Bapuji Nagar (Unit-1)
- Bhauma Nagar (Unit-4)
- Bhoi Nagar (Unit-9)
- Ekamra Bihar
- Forest Park
- Ganga Nagar (Unit-6)
- Keshari Nagar (Unit-5)
- Kharabela Nagar (Unit-3)
- Madhusudan Nagar
- Master Canteen
- Nuapalli
- Saheed Nagar
- Satya Nagar
- Surjya Nagar (Unit-7)
- Unit - 8
South Bhubaneswar
- Samantarapur
- BJB Nagar
- Rajarani Colony
- Pandab Nagar
- Brahmeswar Haat
- Gouri Nagar
- Bhimatangi
- Kapileswar
- Old Town
Western Bhubaneswar
A relatively new part of Bhubaneswar constituting both planned, unplanned colonies and Villages. The western fringe areas are growing due to some reasons such as establishment of educational institutions.
- Baramunda
- Gopabandhu Nagar
- Delta Colony
- Surjya Nagar
- CRPF
- Jagamara
- Khandagiri
Fringes
- Pokhariput
- Palaspali
- Bhimatangi
- Udayagiri Bihar
- Kalinga Nagar
Eastern fringes
- Mancheswar
- VSS Nagar
- Rasulgarh
- Palasuni
- Jharpada
- Laxmisagar
- Chintamanishwar
- BJB Nagar
- Canal Road
References
- "BHUBANESWAR Travel Guide". mustseeindia.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
Bhubaneswar , Orissa
- Ramesh Prasad Mohapatra, Archaeology in Orissa, Vol I, Page 47, B. R. Publishing Corporation, Delhi, 1986, ISBN 81-7018-346-4
- "Planned Cities in India" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
- Preface of the Comprehensive Development Plan for the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Urban Complex
- "world-gazetteer". Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2011.