Ekamra heritage walk guides doff hat to Old Town's greenery

BHUBANESWAR: Guides of the Ekamra Walk, a heritage walk conducted through the Old Town every Sunday, focused on the area's natural heritage, lush greenery and medicinal plants this Sunday. In a departure from their usual talks on the history of ancient monuments in the area, the guides tweaked their programme keeping in mind World Environment Day on Monday.
Members of a local export firm, along with several artists and entrepreneurs, took part in the walk.The age-old motifs on the temple walls drew appreciation from all the participants. "Students of fashion technology should come here to witness the intricacies of temple designs and motifs that can be replicated in their work. The carvings on each piece of stone can be a source of innovative ideas," said Anita Sabat, a participant and employee of the export firm.
Sabat stressed the importance of heritage tours and cited those in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. "Bhubaneswar's heritage tour is unique because it has monuments which other cities do not have," she added.
The participants also highlighted the importance of preserving history. "The state capital's heritage is a treasure trove and should be preserved well for posterity," said Sabat.
The visitors strolled down the temples, starting with Mukteswar. They walked along the path set by a series of temples like Parsurameswar, Sampurna Jaleswar, Kotitirtheswar, Bindusagar, Ananta Vasudev, Lingaraj, Sari Temple and Mohini Temple before ending their walk at Art Vision, a private dance academy run by Odissi exponent Ileana Citaristi.
The experience ended with flautist Sai Shankar Sarangi entertaining visitors with a performance by the Bindu Sagar pond.