Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar (ˈbɦubɔneswɔɾɔ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha, located in the Khordha district. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as Chakra Kshetra and Ekamra Kshetra (Area adorned with a mango tree). Bhubaneswar is dubbed the "Temple City", a nickname earned because of the 700 temples which once stood there. In contemporary times, it has emerged as an education hub and an attractive business destination. Although the modern city of Bhubaneswar was formally established in 1948, the history of the areas in and around the present-day city can be traced to the 7th century BCE and earlier. It is a confluence of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain heritage and includes several Kalingan temples, many of them from 6th–13th century CE. With Puri and Konark it forms the "Swarna Tribhuja" (Golden Triangle), one of Eastern India's most visited destinations. Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital on 19 August 1949, two years after India gained its independence from Britain. The modern city was designed by the German architect Otto Königsberger in 1946. Along with Jamshedpur and Chandigarh, it was one of modern India's first planned cities. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are often referred to as the 'twin cities of Odisha'. The metropolitan area formed by the two cities had a population of 1.7 million in 2011. The Bhubaneswar metro area has a population of around a million people, and is categorised as a Tier-2 city. Bhubaneswar and Rourkela are the two cities in smart city mission from Odisha. Bhubaneswar is the anglicisation of the actual Odia name "Bhubaneśwara"(ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର), derived from the word Tribhubaneśwara (ତ୍ରିଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱର), which literally means the Lord (Iśwara) of the Three Worlds (Tribhubana), which in this context refers to Shiva. Bhubaneswar stands near the ruins of Sisupalgarh, the ancient capital of the erstwhile province of Kalinga. Dhauli, near Bhubaneswar was the site of the Kalinga War (262-261 BCE), in which the Mauryan emperor Ashoka invaded and annexed Kalinga.