BHUBANESWAR: ‘Aitiha’ is an initiative to promote heritage and culture through guided tours and trails. Envisaged by a dedicated team determined to make more people aware of the lesser known sites along with the popular ones, the team made a trip to Prachi Valley July 21.
Around 11 cultural enthusiasts came together for this one-of-its-kind event. From the hundreds of temples and scenic spots which dot its banks, the maiden tour touched a handful of magnificent sites including Buddhanatha Temple in Balipatna, Gangeswari Temple at Bayalishbati village in Gop, Tribeniswara Temple at Madhipur in Konark, Chandrabhaga beach at Konark, Kuruma at Jamadharma village near Konark and Amareswar Temple near Amareswar Square in Nayahat. The route is designed in such a way that people who earlier could not get to know about the monuments which are closer to Konark will have the chance to learn about them.
The first spot was the majestic Buddhanatha temple. Situated in Balipatna block, this temple was built by Ganga rulers in 12th Century. The stone carvings of this temple are one of the best. Second stoppage was Gangeswari Temple at the rustic village of Bayalishbati near Gop. It’s said to be the model temple for the great Sun Temple at Konark. Next stop was Tribeniswara Temple, situated near Konark Temple in Madhipur and built by Ganga kings in 13th Century. Then, the team moved towards Chandrabhaga beach to have a glimpse of its serenity. Chandrabhaga has its own mythological, historical and legend stories attached to it. It’s the same location where during ancient period, holy Prachi river was flowing to it before falling into the Bay of Bengal. Next was Kuruma, one of the lesser known Buddhist sites at Jama Dharma village via Bali Dokan Chowk, 8 km from Konark. It’s a Buddhist monastery having twelve cells and an open courtyard at the centre, built by the Somavanshis in the 9th-10th century AD. Then, the turn was for Amareswar temple complex on Nimapara-Kakatpur route, built by Ganga dynasty during 12thcentury.
Preeti Das, one of the participants, said, “It’s really wonderful to know about such lesser known heritage monuments which are not far away from Bhubaneswar.” BM Das, an enthusiastic senior citizen who participated in the tour for the first time, was all praise about the project. “I never knew that before Konark temple, a model temple was made for that. It’s really fascinating,” he said.
The initial tour was to the unexplored areas of Cuttack Mahanadi valley’s Singhnatha Temple in Gobindapur, Ansupalake, Sarandagada near Ansupa, Trutiya Deba Deula in Subarnapur and Padmeswar Temple of Baneswar Nasi on Athagada-Narasinghapur road. The next tour is planned in August to Baitarani river valley, mainly Biraja Khetra, on popular demand.
