Odisha

Odisha quietly holds some of India's most extraordinary architectural and natural treasures. Bhubaneswar, the capital, has been called the 'Temple City of India' - over 600 ancient temples spanning a thousand years, with the 11th-century Lingaraj Temple as its anchor. The Mukteshwar, Rajarani and Brahmeshwar temples nearby are masterpieces of Kalinga-style sandstone carving. Konark's 13th-century Sun Temple - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - is conceived as a colossal chariot of the sun god Surya, with 24 intricately carved wheels and seven horses pulling it across the sky. Puri, just down the coast, houses one of Hinduism's four char dhams - the Jagannath Dham - and hosts the annual Rath Yatra, where massive wooden chariots are pulled through the streets by hundreds of thousands of devotees. Chilika Lake - Asia's largest brackish water lagoon - hosts over a million migratory birds in winter, including flamingos. Gopalpur's quiet beaches contrast with the bustle of Puri. Inland, the tribal Koraput and Kotpad regions are home to over 60 indigenous groups producing some of India's finest natural-dye textiles. With Buddhist Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri ruins and the rugged Eastern Ghats hill stations of Daringbadi (the 'Kashmir of Odisha'), the state delivers history, wildlife, beaches and culture in equal measure.