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Ekamra Kshetra

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Lingaraja Temple-abode of the presiding deity of Ekamra Kshetra Bhubaneswar is one of the unique cities of the world, that carries an ancient city within its modern urban landscape. The old city of Bhubaneswar, today known as 'Old Town' contains the cultural heritage and architecture that was built in last 2000 years by successive rulers of Odisha. This architecture and cultural heritage manifest itself in the form of numerous beautiful temples, sacred ponds, small shrines, tirthas, and ritual procession routes. Although built by different rulers at different point of time, these monuments are not disjoint, rather they have ritual and cultural interconnection and they present themselves as a whole cultural experience. This religious-cultural sphere with its architecture is regarded as Ekamra Kshetra-a spiritual space, a holy city. Ananta Vasudeva Temple Inscription This unique spiritual experience is centered around the presiding deity and his temple-the Lin...
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History of Bhubaneswar

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Bhubaneswar ,with a history of more than 2000 years, is probably the oldest city of Odisha with a known past. Beyond the academic debate, the earliest reference to Bhubaneswar comes from the Mauryan era and particularly through Ashokan inscription. Kalinga, as it was known to the ancient world, was not part of Magadh empire during Chandragupta Maurya although he tried unsuccessfully at a certain period of his reign to bring it into the fold. During the reign of his grandson Ashoka, Kalinga came into political conflict with the Mauryan empire. The result was, in 261 B.C Ashoka descended on Kalinga with his formidable war machine . On the outskirt of   Bhubaneswar on the bank of river Daya, in the shadows of Dhauli hill, both armies met. As the stories told for generations ,  the water of Daya became red with the blood of  dying soldiers. As per the Ashokan inscription, it was one of the bloodiest battle faught. Daya River from Dhauli Hill The ...
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