Bhubaneswar: Today, the 71st Monks, Caves and Kings was host to people from different walks of life. Students and professionals, young and old, all woke up early to take a stroll on the Twin Hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri and learnt something new in their backyard.
Guide Satyaswaroop Mishra wowed the audience with his knowledge of the history and culture of the twin hills. Many people who are residents of Bhubaneswar but were attending a heritage walk in the famous Jain Heritage site of the Temple City for the first time, loved the idea of the curated walk and wanted more of them in the future.
Minakshi, who resides and owns a boutique in Chennai, said “Even though I am born and brought up in Bhubaneswar I never knew many of the stories and facts about our culture that I learned today. The walk was very interesting and informative. I enjoyed it more because it is conducted in the morning”. She also believes more and more people (local as well as tourists) should know about the different heritage walks and participate in them.
Aswini, a student had a good time learning about the details of the lives of monks and kings of the past. Although he is a localite, this was his first heritage walk and he loved the way it is curated.
Currently under the Ekamra Walks, the first guided heritage walk of the city, the Monks, Caves and Kings at the Twin Hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri on Saturday morning, Old Town Circuit on Sunday morning and an afternoon walk on Sunday at Kala Bhoomi, the Museum of Art and Craft at Gandamunda near Pokhariput have attracted hundreds of visitors in the weekend.
It can be noted here that while during the World Cup Hockey nature trails were also initiated at Chandaka and nandankanan including cycle trails, with the huge success of the Ekamra Walks several other initiatives have also started to attract visitors, some with special themes catering to needs of the niche groups with interests in specific subjects.
Tomorrow a heritage walk near Barabati Fort will start to showcase the rich heritage of the Millennium City, which was once the epicenter of administration, business and education in pre and post-Independence India.
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