State Museum


This museum houses Odisha’s best collection of rare palm-leaf manuscripts, as well as patachitra (scroll paintings), traditional musical instruments, Bronze Age tools, an armoury, and an impressive collection of Buddhist, Jain and Brahmanical sculptures (look for the haunting 8th-century sculpture of Chamunda).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Rajarani Mandir

0.85 MILES

Built around AD 1100, this temple surrounded by manicured gardens is famous for its ornate deul (temple spire). Around the compass points are pairs of…

2. Parsurameswar Mandir

0.92 MILES

This is an ornate Shiva temple built around AD 650. It has lively bas-reliefs of elephant and horse processions, panels of musicians and dancers, and…

3. Siddheswara Mandir

0.93 MILES

Located in the same compound as Mukteswar Mandir, Siddheswara Mandir is a later, more austere temple with a red Ganesha adorning the facade.

4. Bhaskareswara Mandir

0.94 MILES

This 13th-century Hindu temple is dedicated to Shiva. Its central spire (deul) is architecturally distinct and the manicured lawns outside are quite…

5. Mukteswar Mandir

0.94 MILES

This small but beautiful 10th-century structure is one of the most ornate temples in Bhubaneswar; you'll see reproductions of it on posters across Odisha…

6. Kedargauri Mandir

0.99 MILES

Over the pathway from Mukteswar Mandir is the whitewashed Kedargauri Mandir, one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar (although it has been substantially…

7. Vaital Mandir

1.11 MILES

This 8th-century temple, with a double-storey ‘wagon roof’ influenced by Buddhist cave architecture, was a centre of tantric worship, eroticism and bloody…

8. Odisha Modern Art Gallery

1.17 MILES

Right near the airport, this gallery exhibits the best of Odisha's contemporary art. The permanent collection includes over 200 works by prominent Odishan…