Bhubaneswar traces its history back to the 4th century BC, when it was the capital of the Kalinga Empire. In the 7th century, it became the capital of the Sailodbhava kings, and that is when its Golden Age began. Over the next 500 years, over 7,000 temples were built around the Bindu Sagar, or Ocean-drop Tank. This great architectural tradition, encouraged by the sects that evolved here, flourished right up to the 17th century. In contemporary times Bhubaneswar has became the capital of Orissa, a state with considerable hydro-electric power resources Bhubaneswar is famed as a temple town, noted for its numerous temples built in the exuberant Oriya style. Once there were believed to be over 7,000 temples, but today approximately 500 survive, the most interesting being the Lingaraja Temple, one of the most important temples in India.