Cuttack, the former capital of Orissa, also holds the distinction of being one of its oldest towns. The city has seen frequent power transfers, from the Keshari Kings (who founded the city) to Mughals to Afghans and then, the Marathas. Finally, it came under the rule of British Empire, which gave it the status of the capital of Orrisa. Though Cuttack does not hold this title anyone, it is, nonetheless, one of the most visited cities of South India. One of the major reasons for this is the large number of tourist attractions and excursions it offers. In the following lines, we have covered the main places that you must visit on a sightseeing tour of the city.

Qadam- I- Rasool Dargaah : Kadam Rasool is a famous mosque located in the vicinity of the old quarters in the Cuttack city. The domed mosque is spread over an area of 57 acres. The origin of Kadam-I-Rasool, in the Cuttack city of Orissa,can be traced back to the eighteenth century. The mosque holds a lot of religious significance in the eyes of Muslim devotees, as it contains the footprints of Prophet Mohammad, which have been preserved in the central hall.

Dhabaleswar : It is situated at a distance of 7 kms. from Cuttack on the bed of river Mahanadi. It is famous for the Dhabaleswar temple . A large festival is celebrated here in the Kartik(November month).

Paramahasanath temple :People visit the Paramahansanath of Shiva on a holy day. The temple on the outskirts of the town is famous for its water hole (Ananta garva),which floods the sanctum santorum on holy occasions.

Temple of Cuttack Chandi :Being the shrine of the presiding deity of the city, the temple of Cuttack Chandi is normally visited by every Hindu visitor.

Fairs & Festivals :On the day of Ashokashtami in the month of March, the image of Lingaraja (Lord Shiva) and other deities are taken in a procession from Lingaraja Temple to the Rameshwara Temple. Hundreds of devotees participate in pulling the chariot that carries the deities. The deities remain in the Rameshwara Temple for four days.

Dusshera, the festival of goddess Durga, is very popular in Cuttack, and indeed the whole of East India. Idols are worshipped in all the streets and localities. In this city, Dussehra is famous for its Chandi Medhas, in which the idols are adorned with huge amounts of gold and silver, with localities trying to outsmart each other by constructing more attractive idols. Indeed, the whole city comes to a standstill on Ashtami, Nabami and Dashami (the eighth, ninth and tenth days of Dussehra) as people travel all over the city appreciating all the idols put forth by the localities.

But the festival which Cuttackians look forward to most is the Baliyatra. In olden times, merchants from Orissa used to trade with South-East Asian countries. And whatever items they brought from those places after trading Oriya goods used to be put up for sale in the capital city (which was then Cuttack). People from all over the state and beyond used to come to Cuttack to buy these items. Baliyatra is the festival of continuing this ancient tradition. It is held every year in the month of November on the banks of the Mahanadi ("Baliyatra" literally means fair in the sands, here the sands being those of the Mahanadi banks), where many stalls are set up selling both local and exotic goods. People from all over Orissa come to the Baliyatra to buy items, as was the custom back in those days. Kite flying is also celebrated with much enthusiasm and energy in the city. Kite-flying culminates with the Makar Sankranti, with kite-flying competitions being held all over the city. All the other regular Indian festivals like Holi, Id, Good Friday, Rath Yatra, Diwali, Christmas and the numerous Hindu festivals are also celebrated here.