Bhubaneswar, July 20: The sound and light (or son et lumière) show at Sun Temple in Konark is set to begin in an attempt to attract more tourists to the state.

Despite the project being sanctioned four years ago, it could not be implemented because of technical delays.

"The sound and light show at Konark is ready. The final preview was conducted yesterday. It will be opened to public in a few days," said tourism director Nitin Jawale.

The Odisha Tourism-funded project is being implemented by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). A portion of land to the left of the main temple has been designated as the site for the show.

The history of the 13th century temple will be narrated in a 45-minute show. According to sources, there will be three shows daily.

The ITDC has decided not to install speakers in the inner courtyard of the temple and instead provide headphones to visitors. There will be shows in English, Hindi and Odia and visitors can choose their language while buying tickets. Eight high-definition projectors with 3D projection mapping technology have been procured by ITDC for the show that would be shown with laser technology.

Sekhar Suman has done the voiceover of the script in Hindi, Kabir Bedi has lent his voice for the English script while Bijay Mohanty has recorded the Odia script.

"We have set the modalities for the show based on recommendations of the Archaeological Survey of India, which is in charge of conservation work at the site," said tourism minister Ashok Panda.

The state tourism department had signed a memorandum of understanding with ITDC for executing sound and light shows at the Khandagiri-Udayagiri twin hills, the peace pagoda at Dhauli and the Sun Temple. While the show at Dhauli began in 2015, the one at the twin hills has not been finalised yet.