Short answer
Plan on 4-5 days for the core temple-and-coast route (Bhubaneswar, Puri, Konark), or 7-10 days if you want to add Chilika Lake, a wildlife reserve such as Bhitarkanika, and time in the Eastern Ghats or western Odisha.
4-5 days: the Golden Triangle
Day 1-2 in Bhubaneswar for Lingaraj Temple, the Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves and Dhauli, then 2 days in Puri for the Jagannath Temple and beach, and a day trip to Konark 35 km away via Marine Drive for the Sun Temple.
7 days: add Chilika and craft villages
Extend the triangle with a night near Satapada for an Irrawaddy dolphin cruise on Chilika, plus a stop at Raghurajpur's pattachitra painters' village en route between Bhubaneswar and Puri.
10 days: statewide circuit
A 10-day trip realistically covers the coastal triangle, Chilika, one wildlife park (Bhitarkanika or Similipal depending on season) and either a western Odisha leg around Sambalpur and Hirakud Dam or a southern leg toward Koraput's tribal markets — not both, given road distances.
What tightens or stretches this
Rath Yatra crowds in Puri, monsoon closures at Similipal, and cyclone-season disruptions on the coast can all add buffer days; conversely, travellers focused only on temples can compress the triangle into 3 days by skipping beach time.
