Bhubaneswar, April 18: A large number of people visited the heritage sites in the city to discover and explore the rich architectural history of Bhubaneswar on the occasion of World Heritage Day today.
Hundreds of people, including students of different schools and colleges, politicians and bureaucrats, took part in the heritage walk conducted by the culture department.
The walk began from Rajarani temple and culminated at Ekamra Van. On the way, the procession covered Ravi Talkies Square, Mukteswar temple, Swarna Jaleswar temple, Koti Tirtheswara temple, Ananta Basudev temple, Ratha Danda, Badheibanka Chhak and Boital temple.
Members of folk art groups from various parts of the state took part in the procession wearing colourful attires. They also performed all through the way. There were Sahi Jata artistes from Puri dressed as mythological characters, the conch blowers from Ganjam and the laudi dancers from Bhadrak among others.
The primary aim of the walk was to make passers-by understand the importance of heritage conservation. Braving the heat, the participants walked in unison shouting slogans and carrying banners and paintings.
With a number of archaeological sites in Old Town lying in neglect, youth groups pledged to conduct cleanliness drives at the sites on a regular basis. "We have joined hands and decided to visit one site every week and clean the nearby areas and also distribute handmade pamphlets to create awareness among the people," said D. Lipirekha, a student at Rama Devi Women's University.
Among the major hindrances that heritage sites in the city face are encroachment and dumping of garbage. Other problems are lack of availability of basic facilities such as toilets and adequate number of security guards to stop tourists from defacing the monuments.
Officials from the culture department said steps were being taken and new plans made to preserve the heritage of the state. Culture minister Ashok Panda said: "We have formed a task force comprising officials from ASI, state archaeology and the culture department to look into the problems surrounding the heritage sites. We are also working on providing tourist guides at the major sites of the city and also work with local tour operators on promoting those sites."
A seminar on the evolution of ancient temples in Bhubaneswar was also conducted at Odisha State Archives. A number of historians, scholars and academicians working in the field took part in the seminar.
