Bhubaneswar's history stretches back over 2,000 years, anchored by the nearby Dhauli hills, where the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka fought the bloody Kalinga War in 261 BCE. The sheer devastation of this conflict prompted Ashoka to embrace Buddhism and non-violence, a turning point in world history. Over the subsequent centuries, the region came under the rule of various Hindu dynasties, including the Somavamsis and the Eastern Gangas, who between the 7th and 12th centuries CE constructed the magnificent temples that define the city's Old Town.
For much of the medieval and colonial periods, nearby Cuttack served as the region's primary administrative and commercial center. However, owing to Cuttack's vulnerability to floods and lack of space for expansion, the decision was made in 1946 to shift the capital of the newly formed province of Odisha to Bhubaneswar.
Modern Bhubaneswar was formally dedicated in April 1948. Architect Otto Königsberger master-planned the new city with a focus on neighborhood units, wide roads, and ample green spaces. In recent decades, the city has expanded far beyond this original plan, experiencing massive economic and demographic growth, surviving immense natural challenges like the devastating 1999 Super Cyclone and 2019's Cyclone Fani, and transforming into a forward-looking "Smart City."
