Puri: The inaugural anniversary celebration of Puri Heritage Walks(PHW) took place at Sanskruti Bhavan in Puri, marking a successful first year of promoting the rich heritage of the “Sankha Kshetra,” one of the four sacred “dhamas” of the Hindu pantheon.
The event featured several distinguished speakers and honorees. Renowned sculptor and Padma Vibhushan recipient Sudarshan Sahoo attended as the chief guest, highlighting the importance of heritage awareness for future generations. Historian Anil Dhir, the keynote speaker, addressed the threats to heritage monuments and the necessity of preserving them.
Other speakers included Biswajit Mohanty, INTACH State Convener, who shared the objectives of the heritage walk, and JP Jagdev, President of the Udaygiri Foundation, who discussed digitizing heritage preservation for a global audience. Mathadhish Swami Subhananda Ji Maharaj of Mahiprakash Math also emphasized the importance of preserving historical facts.
A significant highlight was the release of the Hindi edition of the book ‘Heritage of Nabakalebara’ by author Surendra Kumar Mishra, who also spoke on his heritage research.
During the celebration, several individuals were honored for their contributions to heritage preservation:
- The ‘Aitihya Ratna’ award was presented to Bijaya Kumar Mohapatra, the chief Vishwakarma Sevak of the Nandighosha Ratha, as well as heritage researcher and writer Krushna Chandra Mishra and Sarangadhar Raiguru.
- The ‘Aitihya Shri’ and ‘Aitihya Bandhu’ awards were given to distinguished heritage workers from across the state and Puri.
- Heritage activists from several other walks, including Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, and Balasore, were also recognized with the ‘Aitihya Bandhu’ award.
The event also celebrated the younger generation, with awards and prizes presented to meritorious students from previous school-level heritage quizzes and painting competitions. The annual souvenir of Puri Heritage Walks, ‘Aitihya Gabakshya’, was also released.
The program was emceed by heritage researcher Pandit Sidharth Acharya and journalist Rajashree Sahoo. It was organized under the guidance of Debi Prasanna Nanda, with the support of conveners Biswaranjan Dehury, Sanjay Kumar Baral, and Dr. Kumar Aurojyoti, along with many other dedicated team members.