Bhubaneswar: The weekly Monks, Caves and Kings heritage walks Saturday morning under Ekamra Walks at the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri celebrated its 10th edition with an amalgamation of visitors from leading educational institutions in and around the city.
Three students from National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) Jatni, could make it their day’s beginning with a heritage trip to the historic hills, two students from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, two research scholars from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology and three anthropologists from State Tribal Museum near CRP Square in the city participated at the event, making it colourful.
Dr Ron Harper, an Australian and managing director Centurion Global, the international wing of the city-based Centurion University of Technology and Management, was the lone face as a foreign national at the walk.
Lipsa Jena from NISER, a researcher in biosciences, expressed her happiness after the walk. “The heritage walk today at the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri taught me many things apart from the fact that how the people and especially the religious preachers lived in such restricted environment and showed lights to the world. The rich history of these stones is so colourful and touching, I just discovered this morning. I would definitely tell my friends to join the walks and explore,” she said.
“I know Bhubaneswar is a city of temples. I had also heard about the caves. But my visit to the spot has given me a rare chance to know all about the interesting tales of their past,” observed another student Diptanil Roy, also from NISER, and studying physics.
Bhagyashree Parida, Raimani Murmu and Bhagyashree Acharya, who are working as anthropologists at the tribal museum, termed the experience at Monks Caves and Kings as interesting and educative.
“As students of anthropology and currently working at a premier museum in the city, many topics discussed at the walk made us more curious to know and explore the twin hills quite often as it has a treasure of so many things, especially the rock art found inside Hati Gumpha. Even rocks arts could also attract niche tourists from foreign lands to Orissa,” said Bhagyashree Parida.
Sreebha Ghoshal and Ritika Chandra, MBA students from XIMB shared the same feeling of excitement after the walk.
“We were aware about the beautiful temples of Bhubaneswar but today’s Monks Caves and Kings at Udayagiri and Khandagiri was unique and interesting as it involved so many things starting from the old rulers, caves, sages, Odissi, lifestyles of the royals and last but not the least, the sociological overview of the past era.”
Dr Ron Harper was happy to notice the simian population staying so close to the Udayagiri-Khandagiri Hills, without harming the tourists.
“As a place of Jain philosophy this uniqueness of this Hill could be the peaceful co-habitation of man and animals, whereas in many places around India and world the friction is distinctly seen,” he observed.
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