Bhubaneswar: Odias settled outside the state and country are keeping track of the Ekamra Walks and have evinced interest to be part of the heritage journey of the Temple City.
Apart from showcasing the ancient monuments of the Old Town area, Ekamra Walks portrays cultural traditions of the different temples, their deities and people associated with them.
Biswaranjan Samal joined the weekend heritage walk with family and was delighted to discover nuggets of knowledge which he had not known earlier, though he is from the City and now settled in Dubai.
“We are monitoring the activities of Ekamra Walks from the beginning. We keep getting updates about the only guided walk of the city either from Facebook posts or from friends. I am really overjoyed after participating in the 88th edition of Ekamra Walks,” Samal said.
Sushant Mohapatra, another member from the Dubai troupe, termed Ekamra Walks as a “great initiative”. He was one of the 20 walkers, who joined the event Sunday.
Satisfied and happy with the experience of Ekamra Walks, Sushant said, “I knew many things about Odisha’s temple architecture, types of temples and influence of temple architecture of Kalinga in faraway territories. But getting first hand information on temple traditions and rituals was really interesting.”
Anupama, a consultant working with Department of Sports and Youth Services of the state government, who came to Old Town for the first time to explore the monuments through Ekamra Walks, said, “the first encounter with Ekamra Kshetra through Ekamra Walks was a memorable one and I will definitely tell my friends to explore this beautiful experience whenever they come to Bhubaneswar.”
11TH MUSEUM WALK
More than 60 walkers including guests from foreign countries and other states joined the 11th Museum Walk Sunday at the Crafts Museum of Kala Bhoomi. The participants feasted on the handicrafts, handloom and art objects and wood and stone carvings at the newly-opened museum.
“I had a nice experience as the Crafts Museum is like a modern temple educating every visitor about the rich tradition of crafts of the state. The pre-weaving technology gallery and the products made by tribals were very attractive,” said Swati Choudhury, an entrepreneur in handloom sector.
Debendra Mohapatra, a student, said, “the museum walk has become a great learning experience for kids, students, elders and outsiders as it displays a rainbow of creative pattern of the entire state within its four walls. The folk dances and performances in the amphitheatre are also wonderfully organised.”
