Gilehrio trail tells romantic tales

A first-of-its-kind love and romance trail has started in the Old Town and the Tankapani Road areas of the city recently. The trail saw quite a number of young heritage and monument lovers take part in the event held on Saturday morning. Despite the city witnessing several trails, this one is unique for the way it tells the stories and legends behind each sculpture on these temples.

Known as Gilehrio trails, it started from Parshurameshwar temple and then visited Kedargouri and then the Mukteswar temple in the Old Town area. They have the love stories of Lord Shiva and Parvati engraved on them. The 12-member team also went to Brahmeswar temple and Rajarani temple on Tankapani Road. The sculptures also have legends of the then kings and their lives. “We focus on these stories because we feel people are interested to know about each engraving. The erotic sculptures on the temple walls have always grabbed eyeballs and people visiting these places are curious. So, we are trying to tell them these fascinating stories,” said Jitu Mishra, one of the organisers.
Among the participants, there were students from various institutes, an actor and people from other professions. “It’s a unique kind of trail and it’s interesting to be a part. I thank the organisers for patiently explaining things and narrating the stories behind these beautiful rock carvings. People should know more about their history and how our culture has always been progressive and open about emotions,” said Swastik Choudhury, an IT engineer and actor.