Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: A group of cyclists today rode across the city to create awareness about the importance of the preservation of cultural heritage as part of observing World Heritage Week.

Members of We All Ride Bicycle rode to various age-old architectural wonders in the Old Town area, including Bindu Sagar Lake.

They also travelled to the Dhauli Peace Pagoda, riding along the Daya river. Other heritage sites such as Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves were also included as part of the cycling tour.

The riders, including professional and students from diverse backgrounds, came together during heritage week from November 19 to 25.

"The purpose of celebrating the week is to encourage the preservation of the cultural heritage of a neighbourhood and the city. Our aim was to gain knowledge about the monuments that we visited," said Piyush Rout, a member of the group.

Schools and colleges across the city hosted a number of events to celebrate the week and create awareness about heritage preservation. Schoolchildren were taken on tours to heritage temples across the state where the significance of these temples, their history and uniqueness were explained.

Members of a local club based in Nayapalli hosted a storytelling session for the students in the area. Senior citizens also spoke on the subject and discussed the importance of heritage conservation with the younger generations on the premises of a 100-year-old Shiva temple.

"This temple is like an identifier for the area and it is very important that children are aware of the history associated with it. This will help them pass it on to the upcoming generations," said club secretary Ajit Das.

Utkal University students hosted a cultural programme on the varsity premises where they performed the state's traditional folk art forms. A number of traditional games, including puchi and gilli danda were also played.

"Preservation of intangible heritage such as games and art forms is also extremely important. So we approached various experts in the field of dance and music and took classes from them," said varsity student Subrat Behera.

A number of local tour operators also observed the week by providing free tours to selected sites in the city to college students. Local photographers also hosted a photography exhibition.