Odisha (formerly Orissa) is one of India's most rewarding and least crowded states. Along the Bay of Bengal coast, ancient temples and Buddhist monasteries sit among palm groves and rice paddies. Inland, forested hills shelter tribal communities whose cultures have survived largely unchanged for centuries. The state changed its official English name from Orissa to Odisha in 2011, though you will still hear both.
The big draw is the temple triangle of Bhubaneswar, Puri, and Konark. Bhubaneswar, the state capital, earned its reputation as the "Temple City" with hundreds of sandstone shrines, of which the Lingaraj Temple is the finest. Puri is one of Hinduism's four sacred dhams and home to the Jagannath Temple, whose annual Rath Yatra chariot festival draws millions. Konark's 13th-century Sun Temple, shaped as a colossal stone chariot, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of India's most extraordinary monuments.
Beyond the famous triangle, Odisha rewards exploration. Chilika Lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, is a birdwatcher's paradise and home to Irrawaddy dolphins. The Buddhist ruins at Udayagiri and Ratnagiri reveal a monastic tradition that flourished here for a thousand years. In western Odisha, Sambalpur is the gateway to the Hirakud Dam and the handloom weaving villages that produce the famous Sambalpuri textiles.
The state's cuisine deserves attention. Odishan food is lighter and less oily than much of Indian cooking, with an emphasis on fresh seafood, rice, and vegetables. The prawns are excellent, the street-side dahi bara (fried lentil dumplings in yogurt) is addictive, and the milk-based sweets and rice pithas are worth seeking out. Fresh green coconut water, sliced open at roadside stalls, is the state's unofficial drink.
Odisha's climate is tropical. The best time to visit is October through March, when temperatures are comfortable and the monsoon has passed. Summers (April to June) are brutally hot, particularly in the western districts. The monsoon hits hard from June through September, and cyclones occasionally strike the coast.
