A Spiritual Sojourn Begins: Bhubaneswar, the Temple City of Odisha
Overview: Our journey into the spiritual heart of Odisha began at Bhubaneswar , the capital city and a living museum of ancient temples, legends, and living traditions. We chose to stay at Hotel Royal 91 , conveniently located near the railway station to make commuting easy. A heartfelt shout-out to the hotel staff for their warm hospitality, their friendliness, attentiveness, and prompt handling of every request made our stay comfortable and welcoming right from the start. Lingaraj Temple: Where Stone Meets the Sacred Our first stop was the majestic Lingaraj Temple , one of the most revered shrines in eastern India. As expected, a long queue snaked its way across the temple precincts. With a child and senior citizens in our group, we opted for the assistance of a panda (temple priest) who offered a shorter entry route for ₹500. While the priest did explain the temple’s history and significance reasonably well, the experience soured upon entering the kitchen area, where we were pr...