Baripada: Members of Mayurbhanj Lovers and Mayurbhanj Mirror along with heritage enthusiasts of this erstwhile princely state, organised the 15th edition of the Mayurbhanj Heritage Walks (MHW) on 22 December and more than 60 participants took part in the event.
The group, comprising graduation, post-graduation and Ph.D scholars and intellectuals of the district headquarters town thronged the historic Baba Budha Raula Temple and Matha on the outskirts of the city and along the banks of Budhabalanga river. Interestingly, the temple and the monastery are situated on the confluence of three rivers Budhabalanga, Chippata and Sukhajodi.
During the heritage walk the enthusiasts started their journey from one of the iconic point of Baripada town, i.e. from near the Mayurbhanj Palace (old building of MPC College) and reached the Baba Budha Raula Temple and monastery. Kumaresh Nayak of Mayurbhanj Mirror narrated the historic tale behind the Budha Raula Temple, its Shiv Lingam, story of Arakhpal Mouza, the sacred fire, which is there at the temple for hundreds of years and the participants enjoyed every bit of the narrative.
Arlin Ankita Parida, an actress and PG student of Political Science said “connecting the missing dots of our heritage, tradition and culture is what we join during a heritage walk and it’s a wonderful experience to be part of the
Ansa Khatun, a PG student in English Literature added “the heritage walk takes back to the past and discovering the glory of the past of Mayurbhanj is an interesting part of the learning process through this heritage trail.”
Assistant Professor in History Suchismita Das observed “knowledge in one’s cultural history and traditions links us to the glorious past and we should always take pride in discovering the stories with more and more participation in heritage walks. Both college and school students must take active part in them.”
Ipsita Pattanayak, assistant professor in Geology said “the knowledge in one’s own history and archaeology is an important aspect of one’s life. The heritage walk helps us in revisiting the past.”
A come member of Mayurbhanj Lovers group and an active heritage lover of the district and organiser Rushiraj Pattanayak spoke about the importance of heritage in our lives and how the historic town Baripada has a royal touch of its own past.
It can be mentioned here that both the Mayurbhanj Lovers and Mayurbhnaj Mirror have been relentlessly promoting and documenting the heritage, tourism, culture, nature, wildlife and rural life of the district for more than seven years. Among others, Sushree Nayak, Akash Mohanty, Krishna Chandra Mukhi, Jeet Patnaik, Abhas Dey and Chinmay Das were present.