Born and brought up in Bhubaneswar.
Spent 26 years here.
Countless times crossed Old Town, had dahibara nearby, rushed past Lingaraj area during Shivaratri traffic… but somehow never actually went and sat near Bindusagar.
Today felt different.
After getting engaged recently, my fiancée insisted we go there in the evening. No big plan. No checklist tourism. Just two people walking through the old lanes of Bhonsor.
And honestly… something about that place hits differently.
The sound of temple bells, the smell of flowers and diya, people feeding fishes, old uncles sitting silently near the water, kids running around, that cool breeze near the lake after a hot Bhubaneswar day… felt peaceful in a very Odia way that’s hard to explain.
Funny thing is we travel outside Odisha searching for “calm” and “culture”, while places like this have been sitting quietly in our own city all along.
Felt a little emotional thinking it took me 26 years to finally experience Bindusagar properly.
But maybe some places are meant to be visited at the right phase of life.
Bhala lagila. Bohut. ❤️