The Land of the Enlightened One

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 01: Arrival at Bhubaneswar reception and transfer to Hotel. Half day city tour of Bhubaneswar covering temples. Overnight at Bhubaneswar +

Bhubaneswar is the capital of the ancient kingdom of Orissa, and is famous as the Temple City of India. Traveling through the state of Orissa is a blend of art, architecture and ancient cultures. Bhubaneswar has some stunning temples clustered around the Bindusagar Tank. Of the original 7000 only 500 remain dating from the 7th century to the 11th century. Of these the most outstanding is the 11th century Lingaraja Temple which represents the peak of Orissa art and the late 10th century beautifully decorated Mukteswara temple which belongs to the end of the phase of temple building. Close to the Mukteswara Temple is the Parsurameswara Temple, a small but richly decorated shrine of Shiva that was built in the 7th century. It is one of the best preserved. It has sculptures featuring amorous couples, animals and floral motifs. In the evening visit the School of Oddissi dance and witness the performance by the artists

Day 02: After breakfast Full day excursion to Dauli-Pipli-Puri-Konark. Lunch at Puri. Overnight at Bhubaneswar. +

After breakfast Full day excursion to Dauli-Pipli-Puri-Konark. Lunch at Puri. Overnight at Bhubaneswar. In Konark, visit to the Temple - Chariot of The Sun God, built by King Langula Narasimha Deva in the thirteenth century A.D. in the golden era of Orissan art. This crowning piece of Orissan architecture and sculpture is sheer poetry in stone. Every day the Sun God rises from the lap of the blue ocean close by and casts his first gentle rays on the sanctum sanctorum and then circles the temple during the course of the day, illuminating the three magnificent images of the morning Sun, the mid-day sun and the setting sun. As you approach the water, you will see rising from the golden sandy beach, one of the country’s most vivid archaeological treasures -- The Sun Temple. For a millennium, this temple has been a beacon to sailors at sea. Despite the fact that the Black Pagoda, as it was referred to by European soldiers who wanted to distinguish Konark from the whitewashed Jaganath Temple in Puri, lies in ruins, the structure is magnificent. Puri: Sightseeing of Puri Temples, the famous Jaganath temple in Puri. Puri, the popular beach resort, is one of the four holy abodes in India. Pre-Dravidian and pre-Aryan history relates that a tooth of Buddha was temporarily enshrined in Puri before being moved to Sri Lanka. Supporting the theory that Buddhism prevailed in this area, the Jaganath Temple, to the Lord of the Universe, and the main attraction in Puri, was believed to have originally been a stupa. The extraordinary form Jaganath takes in this temple is said to be the unfinished work of the craftsman god, Vishvakarna. Angry at Vishnu, he left his portrayal of the god in.co.inplete. This 12th century temple is known for its annual Rath Yatra or Car Festival. The Jaganath Temple contributed the word Juggernaut to the English language

Day 03: After breakfast transfer to Udayagir-Ratnagir. Lunch at Udayagiri. Overnight at Ratnagiri +

These three hills, which between them possess ruins of what must have been an immense Buddhist Complex. The beauty of the ruins and the site itself,as well as the historical importance, makes the trip exceedingly worthwhile. Ratnagiri, which hs the most extensive ruins, has frequently been identified as the Buddhist Monastery of “Puspagiri” which the Chinese pilgrim traveller Huen T’ Sang reportedly visited in 639 A.D. Excavation in recent decades have concluded that this is unlikely, although Ratnagiri certainly was a flourishing monastery at the same Time. One of the most exciting discoveries of the current excavation at Lalitgiri was the finding of inscriptions which seem dateable to the Kushan period, in the second century A.D., and which moreover point to evidence of cultural links with the Mathura school of Kushan Buddhist art. Yet another spectacular discoveries at Lalitgiri was an ancient Stupas containing relics preserved in caskets of stone. Its antiquity and its silver and gold contents have led to speculation that these are relics of Buddha. The complex seems to have ceased to function by about the 13th century. Recent excavation has revealed a stone platform with Brahminic descriptions which seem to bring the date of the site to 2nd century

Day 04: After breakfast +

Day 05: After breakfast +