Bhubaneswar: With the onset of December, .FEST 2018 edition of Ekamra Walks kick started with the trail around the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udaygiri caves at Bhubaneswar in the wee hours of Saturday. With participants ranging from residents of Bhubaneswar to visiting journalists covering World Cup Hockey, travel bloggers from Mumbai and a solo woman traveler from Andhra Pradesh travelled through the heritage of caves, stories of kings, and secrets of past glory.
The intangible traditions of the “Temple City”, are well reflected through these guided heritage trails, an initiative of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Odisha Tourism and curated by Detour Odisha. These caves were primarily used as living quarter for the Jain recluses. In keeping with the austerity practiced by them, the caves are shorn of any creature comforts.
Jaspreet Sahni, Assistant Editor, Times of India, Internet Edition New Delhi, happened to attend the walk today. Engulfed by the tales from the 1st Century BC, he shared, “Jain Walks (trail around these twin hills) is a remembrance of the era when Ekamra Kshetra came into being. I wish more and more children are roped into attending these walks to create story tellers out of them. The next generation can thrive in the glorious beauty of their root and history through these tales. This amazing initiative is young and the State must sustain these centuries’ old stories through these guided trails”.
Trishita Bhattacharya, Travel Blogger says, “We have visited Bhubaneswar before, but this time has been a new experience altogether. The Jain Walks have presented to us a non-touristy aspect of Bhubaneswar. I wish I could get to attend more walks”.
Tulika Bhattacharya, Travel Blogger shared, “The Jain Walks is informative and totally feeds my interest in history and culture. I didn’t know many stories existed and the conduction was well paced and the tales compelling. This early morning walk was totally worth for a late riser like myself”.
Sharing her personal experience, Shreya says, “Not being a history buff myself, the compelling stories around these caves makes me want to explore more. I would love to come back again for more stories and such tales on trails”.
Ekamra Walks finds its heart in the architectural brilliance of Ekamra Kshetra which echoes through these compelling tales of glory and lore.
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