Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s love for art and culture lies at the heart of his desire to turn Puri and Old Bhubaneswar into world-class heritage cities. He has been personally monitoring the steady progress of these ambitious projects. Aimed at highlighting the history and culture of these places, the projects are expected to boost tourism in the state in a big way. Strewn with beautifully crafted temples steeped in history, Puri and Old Bhubaneswar are already the favourites of tourists coming from various parts of the country and abroad. But their appeal is expected to increase manifold once these projects are completed.
That heritage projects are close to the Chief Minister’s heart is evident from the fact that Patnaik visited Puri last October, his first trip outside Bhubaneswar in the wake of the corona pandemic, to make an on-the-spot assessment of the progress of the heritage corridor project in the pilgrim town. He also reviewed the status of the works done under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme. During the visit he had also offered prayers to “Patitapaban” (the Lord) from the Singhadwar (Lion’s Gate) of the 12th-century Jagannath Temple and had a darshan of Neela Chakra (the holy Blue Wheel).
The state government has allocated Rs 3,208 crore under the ABADHA scheme to transform Puri into a world-class heritage city. Similar plans have also been made for the Ekamra Kshetra which happens to be the cultural heart of the state capital. With the purpose of turning this area into a world-class heritage city, the government had set up a 10-member Ekamra Kshetra Infrastructure Development Committee headed by then chief secretary Asit Tripathy. His successor, Suresh Mohapatra, who was then the state’s development commissioner, was a member of the committee.
The Old Town area is dotted with ancient temples and monuments, including masterpieces like the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, Rajarani Temple, Kedar Gouri Temple and the Mukteswar Temple. The obvious purpose of the project is to showcase these historic structures with great religious and architectural significance in a befitting manner. Apart from adding to the beauty and appeal of Bhubaneswar, the project will help draw more tourists. The project, thus, is also a good commercial proposition.
It is heartening to note that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently came across an ancient structure, presumed to be the remains of a temple belonging to the Somavamshi era, while carrying out scientific cleaning of the land in the Ekamra Kshetra heritage zone. This is believed to be an important discovery that also underscores the need for the preservation of the ancient structures located in the Ekamra Kshetra. Fortunately, Odisha has a Chief Minister who understands the importance of such heritage sites and remains committed to saving them for posterity.
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