Orissa is a state of Indian union located along the eastern coast of the peninsula. Its territory formed a part of the ancient kingdom of Mahabharat fame . Ashok, the Mauryan king of Magadh, invaded kalinga in 261 BC and this event has gone history of the kalinga war, causing a greater change in the heart of Ashok, then in his empire This was the last war fought by him after which he became a great champion of Buddhism and upheld the values of peace and non-violence. By the final reckoning, therefore, it was the conqueror who was conquered in the famous Kalinga War.
The ancient state rose to prominence as a kingdom under kharavela,a great conqueror and patron of jainism, in the second half of the 1st century B.C. Other great rulers were the kings of the kesari dynasty and the eastern Ganga dynasty who were also great builders.
The Kalinga School of architecture flourished from the 7th to the 13th century A.D. The most important moments of this period can be seen in and around Bhubaneswar and Puri. The Lingaraj Temple, the Jangannath Temple and the Sun Temple are some of the finest temples of this period. Few temples can compete with the beauty of the sculptures of Orissan temples.

 In fact, the entire length and breadth of the state is dotted with 4,000 monuments  and archaeological sites. They include early Jaina caves and temples ; Buddhist monasteries ( Viharas ), domed structures ( Chaityas ), and pillars ( Stupas ); Hindu temples; mosques; churches ; ancient and medieval forts, palaces and colonial architecture.