Bhubaneswar: Aitiha is an initiative to promote heritage & culture through guided tours & trails. Founded by a dedicated team determined to make more people aware of the lesser known sites along with the popular ones, its trip to Prachi Valley was successfully organised on 21st July 2019 (Sunday).
A total of 11 cultural enthusiasts came together for this one-of-its-kind event. From the hundreds of temples & scenic spots that dot its banks, the maiden tour touched a handful of magnificent sites including Buddhanatha Temple (Balipatna), Gangeswari Temple (Bayalishbati village, Gop), Tribeniswara Temple (Madhipur, Konarka), Chandrabhaga beach at Konarka, Kuruma (Jamadharma village, near Konarka) and Amareswar Temple (Amareswar Square, Nayahat). The route is designed in such a way that people must know about the monuments which are closed to Konarka and yet unexplored.
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 Konarka. Next stop was Tribeniswara Temple, situated near Konarka 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. Chandrabhaha has its own mythological, historical & legend stories attached to it. It’s the same location where during ancient period, holy Prachi river was flowing to it before falling into Bay of Bengal. Next was Kuruma, one of the lesser known Buddhist site at Jama Dharma village via Bali Dokan Chowk, 8 km from Konarka. Its 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 12th century .
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 Konarka 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 (Gobindapur), Ansupa lake, Sarandagada (near Ansupa), Trutiya Deba Deula (Subarnapur) & 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. More details can be found at the website www.aitiha.com, through the social media handles on Facebook (aitiha1), Twitter( https://twitter.com/aitiha1 ) and Instagram (aitiha_ ) or via email at info@aitiha.com
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