Two weeks in Odisha

After two months in West Bengal and Assam we headed towards South India and made a stop in Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha, for two weeks. We stayed mostly in and around Bhubaneswar and made a day trip to the nearby Hindu pilgrimage town of Puri.

Odisha is a costal state in India on the East Coast with a population of about 14 million, where the language spoken by the people is primarily Odia but different dialects are spoken across the state. The state is famous for its many Hindu temples as over 94% of the population identify themselves with the Hindu religion.

We did not travel a lot in Odisha but stayed only in Bhubaneswar (in three different places) for two weeks and visited a few temples, parks, and took long walks to explore our neighbourhoods. Bhubaneswar is the capital city of Odisha and it is one of the first cities that was planned before its development. Even thought this was known as the city of temples, these days it is quickly emerging as an Information Technology (IT) and Education hub.

The old town of Bhubaneswar was home to the famous Lingaraj and Mukteshvara temples. Our first stay in this town was in the old town. We visited the nearby Mukteshwar temple as it was reachable just by a few minutes walk. The architecture of temples in this area, which is based on Kalinga Architecture, is very different compared to other Hindu temples we visited in South India and North India. When we were in Odisha, it was also the time for Kanwad Yatra where devotees walk up to 100 kilometres barefoot with pots of water from the river Ganga and offer it to the God as a sign of their devotion. Many devotees come to Bhubaneswar to offer the water to lord Shiva and end their journey here. We saw a lot of devotees walking barefoot carrying water on their shoulders and finally ending their journey at the Muktesvara temple. To celebrate the end of their journey, they sat together with other devotees and played in the water around the temple. It was a beautiful scene to watch those joyful faces. While we were at this temple, a few priests walked us to the main part of the temple and asked us to make a donation for allowing us to enter the temple, which we politely declined.

Kanwad devotees taking bath in the water pond next to Muktesvara temple   

Nora and Kathi watching a tower in Muktesvara temple complex

Kanwad devotees hanging the water they were carrying on the wall while resting (as they are not allowed to let the water touch ground)

Nora watching the main dome of the Muktesvara temple

Nora and Kathi sitting in the Muktesvara temple complex

After a few days, we took a taxi and went to the famous Lingaraj temple only to be told that we can't enter it. We were surely disappointed to hear that non-Hindus and foreigners were not allowed to enter the temple. We took a long walk near the Lingaraj temple and found a place to sit near an artificial pond near that area. We got a chance to speak to a few locals here and Sam couldn't resist but to ask why foreigners are not allowed to enter the temple. Based on their response, it seems like the fear from the history of foreign invaders coming to this region and destroying many temples still seems to run deep. Another reason they gave was that foreigners are unclean as they use toilet paper. It was a bit silly to hear that as a reason, but their fears and the support of those fears from the collective community gave them a strong need to find creative ways to justify their fears and continue it, even though the possibility of invasion from foreigners is no longer there. Other than not being allowed to enter the temples, people were very kind to us.

Priests washing utensils after conducting a ceremony near Lingaraj temple

Linkgaraj temple can be seen at a distance over the Bindu Sagar lake

A nearby town called Puri was famous for Lord Jagannadh temple. We took a day trip to that town and visited a local beach there. We took a local bus from the old town in Bhubaneswar. The temple in Puri is one of the famous temples in India that hosts a rally each year with over 600,000 people attending it. The chariot and its wheels that carry the Deity, Lord Jagannadh, on a rally each year has their own significance in the culture. As in other temples, we were not allowed to enter the temple and visit the deity as we were not Hindus. We walked along the temple and headed to a nearby beach as we had not been to a beach in a very long time. It was a rainy day with lots of clouds and wind, but we managed to get in the water and spend some time there, freezing :)

Jagannadh temple in Puri

Lord Jaganadh chariot wheels

A narrow street in front of Jagannadh temple in Puri

Kathi and Nora freezing in the cold water at the beach in Puri

The place we stayed in the old town was a homestay with access to a shared kitchen. We cooked our own meals there. Our room was on the third floor with a balcony and views of the entire neighbourhood. The place was close to markets and grocery shops where we had lots of conversations with the shopkeepers about our travels, spirituality, and Hinduism. It was a vey nice place to stay except that it ended abruptly. One evening around 9pm, we were asked to leave the place and find another place. On speaking with our point of contact on phone, we found out that the people working at the reception stole a few things from the luggage that was stored in their storage by a previous guest. Police arrested and took away all the employees of the homestay and they had to close the place down immediately until things settled down. We had just finished our dinner and we were getting ready to put Nora to sleep when these news came. We quickly packed our bags and went to a nearby busy city centre to find a place to stay for the night. After walking along the street and talking to a few hotels, we found a place to stay for the night. It was crazy and adventurous at the same time walking at 10pm on the streets with a baby, and Kathi being pregnant trying to find a place to sleep.

After staying here for one night, we booked another stay online for a few more days and went there after having our breakfast. The new place was in a different part of Bhubaneswar with very different vibe. This was the area with a lot of IT and Education institutions. The main roads here were very wide with separate bicycle lanes, the communities and streets were very clean, and more interestingly the walls and structures everywhere were painted with beautiful graffiti and art. After a bit of research we found that the city had consciously taken on a project to beautify the town with art and paintings when the Men's Hockey World Cup was hosted in Bhubaneswar in 2018. The place we stayed was a residential area with many local shops and a lot of quietness around it. We visited a few children's parks and also tried a few local foods while we were there.

Street art and bicycle lanes in Bhubaneswar

Wall art in Bhubaneswar

Small statue of lord Jagannadh in a auto rickshaw we rode in Bhubaneswar

Even though, things didn't turn out as planned, we had a memorable stay for about two weeks in Odisha and got to know a bit of the culture and life of people in this region.

From here we took the train back to South India to prepare and get ready for the birth of our second baby. We were excited and looking forward to the next big chapter of our life of having another baby, and having a family of four and traveling.