Ancient Temples and Cultural Heritage of Odisha, India

Abstract

India represents one of the oldest extant civilizations in the world. Odisha, the eastern state of India has rich source of unique ancient temples and ethnic culture. The ancient city Bhubaneswar is well known as the ‘Temple City.' Every year, good numbers of domestic and international tourists visit Odisha to experience this marvelous temple architecture of ancient period. These are the sources of knowledge for the scholars of ancient history, archaeology, heritage, Tourism studies and others. This article begins with the understanding of ancient temples existing till today in some spiritual places of coastal Odisha, mainly in the golden triangle of eastern India. Socio-economic development of the local community and protection of their culture are also discussed here. This chapter analyzes the role and importance of ancient temples and cultural heritage of Odisha for the development and promotion of tourism business in the state.