Bhubaneswar: As many as 20 domestic tour operators from the third edition of Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) 2019 joined the Old Town Circuit, others joined the Monks Caves and Kings at the Twin Hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri as part of the city’s first guided heritage tour, i.e. Ekamra Walks.
The objective of a Special Heritage Walk for the OTB 2019 delegates was to familiarise the group about the great heritage corridors of the Temple City of Bhubaneswar which was in olden days was known as Ekamra Kshetra.
The walk started from near 10th Century Mukteswar Temple with its unique arch and passed through the 7th Century Parasurameswar Temple and finished near the Ekamra Van, the heritage herbal garden with more than 200 rare medicinal plants on the Western Bank of Bindusagar lake. The OTB delegates visited seven monuments led by tour guide Tapan Kumar Mishra.
The Operators were spellbound to see the great architectural efflorescence and are keen to promote the State. “We will definitely promote Odisha’s best kept secrets in our tour plans and advisory when the customers will come to us and seek assistance and travel plans. We have also received splendid hospitality here which will take Odisha Tourism to new heights,’’ they added.
Mishra narrated the group about the speciality of Kalingan architecture and temple building traditions and how in the past the same had also influenced temple structures in faraway South East Asian nations across the Indian Ocean as Kalinga, the ancient land was having a strong maritime link with these island nations.
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Ms Kalinga