Bhubaneswar: With the famous annual Khandagiri Mela round the corner, heritage lovers Saturday had a pleasant time knowing the tales behind the ancient, man-made caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri. They also keenly heard the stories about the former rulers of Kalinga, who were known for their heroic deeds.
Five students from Institute of Mathematics and Applications, Andharua, on the outskirts of the city, enjoyed the most, as these students from neighbouring states heard so many interesting stories about the rich and colourful history of ancient Kalinga.
“Our institute is so near to the Twin Hills, but we never came here with a professional guide. We will now tell our friends to join the Monks, Caves and Kings Heritage walk,” said an undergraduate student from the Institute of Mathematics, Riddhiman Dutta Roy.
Another student, Megha Chakrabarty said that previously she thought that the Khandagiri Hills are only known for the presence of monkeys and caves. The heritage walks has changed her conception regarding the twin hills. “Today we saw beautiful relief images of Jaina Tirthankars carved in stone and it reminded me about the rock-cut Buddha statues in other places, which I have seen in pictures. It is very interesting to know how artisans and stone carving experts managed to do this type of work in the olden days,” she added.
Sarbani Roy, an IT professional from pharmaceutical sector who stays in the US for her work, found the walks interesting. “These two heritage walks in the city have generated a lot of interest in non-resident Oriyas like me. In fact, some months back, I missed the opportunity to go for the Old Bhubaneswar heritage walk, but I will try my best to join the Sunday heritage walks,” she said.
Finding the twin hills heritage walks interesting, Johnson Babu Puthuparambil and Sandeep Kumar S, from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Sijua, and Jennifer Harrison, who is a regular participant at Old Town and the Twin Hills walks, observed that people, students in particular, must take part in these walks to know about their city’s heritage.
PNN
