Forty Students of SAI International School along with Chairman Dr. Bijoy Kumar Sahoo, Trustee Dr. Silpi Sahoo and teachers experienced one of the most cherished and memorable walk on Sunday, April 16, 2017, as they witnessed the grand architectural legacy and savored the rich heritage and culture of the Temple City of Bhubaneswar during the Sunday Ekamra Walks. They were accompanied by five foreign tourists and equal number of travelers from metro cities to explore the rich Kalingan architecture.
The troupe commenced their journey at 6.30am from Mukteswara temple and went on to visit ancient temples in the ‘Ekamra Kshetra’ ranging from 6th to 13th century, representing various phases in the development of the temple architecture of Odisha like Parasurameswara, Mohini, Sampurnajaleswara, Ananta Basudev, Kotitirtheswara, Chitrakarini, the twin temples of Suka-Sari or Saro Deula and Vaitaal. The delicately carved sand stone temples represent the Kalingan temple architecture and depicts the elegance, exquisiteness and rhythm of life.
They also strolled the Garden of Healing, Ekamravan, which has attracted archeologists and heritage experts for it’s unique collection of rarest of rare herbs and medicinal plants, visited the ancient lake Bindusagar, Ratha Danda and the Old Dharmasala, which has been housing devotees since centuries. The group ended their heritage walk after watching the mesmerizing Odissi dance recitals like ‘Shivastakam’ depicting the life of Lord Shiva, ‘Pallavi’ and ‘Dasa Avatara’, at the Art Vision Dance Academy, founded by the eminent dancer Padmashree Dr.Ileana Citaristi.
The students were thrilled witnessing the rich architecture of ancient time and getting to know some of the lesser known monuments of the city, the impact of Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism in the art and culture of the land, interesting facts about the various monuments as well as legends associated with ‘Ekamra Kshetra’. The Ekamra Walks was chosen to create awareness among the students about the heritage and especially on the ancient monuments of the city.