Orissa is a state on the northeastern coast of India. It receives few visitors despite the fame of the Sun Temple at Konarak and the Jagannath Temple in Puri. The capital of the state of Orissa, Bhubaneswar, has some of the finest temples in India, dating from the 600's.

Location and description. Orissa is bounded by West Bengal and Bihar to the north, Madhya Pradesh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. To the southeast lies the Bay of Bengal. The whole of the state is south of the Tropic of Cancer, and midway between the semitropical, wet deltas of Bengal and the much drier tropical interior of the Peninsula.

Climate. Temperatures vary according to altitude. On the plains around Bhubaneswar, just south of the Tropic of Cancer, the average maximum temperature in December, the coldest month, is 28 °C, and minimum temperatures do not fall below 16 °C. In April and May, the hottest months, maximum temperatures soar to 38 °C. The average minimum temperature from April to September is between 25 °C and 27 °C.
Annual rainfall along the coast decreases southward from nearly 160 centimetres at Balasore to just over 110 centimetres at Chatrapur. But the inland hills in the far southwest receive much more rain than the nearby coastal strip. The major part of Orissa has one of the shortest dry seasons in India with only January and February being rainless.

Tourist centers: Bhubaneshwar, the present capital of Orissa is known as the Cathedral city of India on account of its numerous temples. A complete study of the Kalinga style of architecture from its every inception to maturity spread over a period of about 2000 years is epitomized in the monuments of Bhubaneshwar.

Places of interest are : Lingaraj Temple, Mukheswar Temple, Anantvasudev Temple and Raj Rani Temple, the Jain and Buddhist rock-cut caves at Khandagiri, Udaigiri and Dhauli together with Ashoka's rock edict.
Odissi, the dance form of Orissa evolved in the shadow of the magnificent temples of the state. Bhubaneshwar is connected to Calcutta, Vizag and New Delhi by air. Also there are express trains to Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and Sikandarabad and buses to Calcutta, Vizag, Ranchi, Raipur, and Tatanagar.

Puri (Jagganath Puri) is a coastal town and beach resort in Orissa. It is 62 Kms. from Bhubaneshwar and it is among the four Dhams (holy Hindu places of pilgrimage) in India. The presiding deities in the temple are Jagganath, Balbhadra and Subhadra. Every year in June-July (Asadha Sukla Dwitiya), thousands of devotees from all over India and abroad to participate in the car festival.

Konark is about 65 Kms. from Bhubaneshwar and 85 Km from Puri. It is famous for the great temple of the Sun God, conceived as a giant celestial chariot with 24 exquisitly carved wheels drawn by seven impetuous horses. The temple is profusely sculptured with exquisite figures and figurines, fixed by an astonishing energy, trapped in stone. Hirakud dam, the fourth largestin the world, on Mahanadi, 328 Km. Bhubaneshwar is another tourist attraction.