Bhubaneswar, Dec. 29: A number of awareness programmes were conducted on the occasion of the 58th foundation day of the Odisha State Museum today where visitors were encouraged to conserve their heritage.

"We interacted with the people and told them that the responsibility of preserving the monuments rests on all of us and not only on historians and archaeologists," said superintendent in charge of the museum Jayanti Rath.

Pamphlets were distributed to guide the citizens about the steps that they can take to keep heritage sites clean.

A number of visitors, including foreigners, visited the museum today.

Paintings by artist Harish Chandra Sinha Babu were also on display. An exhibition showcasing the handloom and handicraft items of the state was also held.

Six Jain idols excavated at a village in Rayagada district in Odisha were exhibited on the occasion.

"The collection was very attractive. It was surprising to see the idols intact even after so many years," said Lipirekha Sharma, a tourist from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

Though the museum observed its foundation day with much fanfare, there are a number of projects that are still hanging fire. The setting up of the Gandhi Circuit has not been completed.

"Work on setting up the circuit is under way. We are in talks with a few organisations who are providing us with the necessary information about Gandhi's visit to Odisha. Funds have also been allotted," said tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda.

That apart, the proposal to launch a mobile application and introduce audio-visual service at all galleries of the state museum to make the tour more interactive is yet to materialise.

Plans are on to set up four new galleries - pattachitra, freedom fighters of Odisha, human evolution and Odisha through ages - in the museum.

The mining and geology gallery is also being renovated in collaboration with Odisha Mining Corporation.