Ekamra Kshetra is easily overlooked because of its name which doesn’t give a clue to outsiders about what it represents. Translated from the Sanskrit it means “place with mango trees” and it comprises the temple city quarter of Bhubaneswar. The site has numerous temples and ponds, all part of a geomantic Hindu city plan which is shaped like a mandala. The well-written Tentative Site description lists being "a complete Hindu city" and "a living site" as its Unique Selling Points. It compares itself to Varanasi, which is unique in its own right of course, but the people from Bhubaneswar say Ekamra Kshetra is much better managed.

To prepare for a visit, I recommend consulting the Wikivoyage page on Bhubaneswar: it has a very good and recent overview of most temples and other places of interest in this area. There are on-site information panels as well at every temple of some significance.

I started my exploration at the Rajarani temple. It lies across the road from the other main temples (BTW: use the Maps.me location, the one on Google Maps is wrong). This is a single temple surrounded by a manicured lawn with flower beds, a set-up clearly recognizable as directed by the ASI. There’s an entrance fee as well, the usual 300rs for a Tentative Site. I asked whether this would give me access to all temples in Ekamra Kshetra, but that wasn’t the case! Fortunately, most of the other temples are managed by religious caretakers and require no fee. The Rajarani temple has some good exterior carvings, but is empty on the inside (it’s one of the few that isn’t in religious use anymore).

I then walked to the main temple zone, which has been sanitized / beautified by the city council in 2020 and is indeed pleasant for strolling. The first large temple you come across is the Muktesvara temple, the one I ended up liking the most. It dates from 950 but is still in use – there were a few people praying. It stands out for its torana (arched gateway) and decoration scheme displaying monkey behaviour.

Further north I came across the Parasurameswar temple. This is one of the oldest, dating from the 7th century. Its heavily decorated exterior is better-preserved than many of the younger temples around – no iconoclasm by the Mughals has happened here. The temple keeper welcomed me in and had some interesting details to tell about his temple (he wanted a donation of course, but he sang for his supper). There’s a sanctum here with active worship, but the rest of the interior has the same simple straight columns as everywhere else – the keeper said they date from the British period (1903) and were meant to stabilize the construction. 

Central to the whole city plan is the Bindusagar Tank, a large pond used for ritual washing and with a small temple at its center. All around it, I encountered holy men and women offering their consultations while “holding office” on the pavement. 

The road ends at the Lingarah Temple, the main focus of Hindu worshippers at Ekamra Kshetra. Unfortunately, access is not allowed for non-Hindus, but you can watch the grounds from a viewing tower. The red-and-white structure is placed against the outer wall right around the corner from the entrance. The views are quite good indeed, but be aware that the sun's position isn’t favourable when you visit in the morning. Better save it for the late afternoon, which is the case as well for several other temples, such as the Rajarani.

Overall, Ekamra Kshetra isn’t an undiscovered Bagan – yes there are many temples, with construction dates spanning a period of 2,000 years, but the differences between them are subtle. I did enjoy Bhubaneswar overall (the Odisha State Museum should not be missed!) and it is a good hub for the Konark Sun Temple, so while you’re there anyway you can spend a pleasant 2-3 hours at Ekamra Kshetra too.