Puri: The sixth Puri Heritage Walk (PHW) was successfully held with the participation of 20 walkers on Sunday last. In the first phase of the walk, participants visited the lighthouse at Puri Beach.
Vinod Yadav, an official from the lighthouse authority, explained the history of the Puri lighthouse and its role in navigation, distance estimation from the shore, and the dissemination of meteorological information. The walkers also observed ancient cannons and anchor preserved near the lighthouse.
The participants climbed the lighthouse and enjoyed panoramic views of the sea and its surroundings.
They later visited the Shri Aarti Sahib Gurdwara, where they paid homage to the sacred Granth Sahib and gathered information about Bhai Himmat Singh of Puri, one of Guru Gobind Singh’s five beloved disciples.
Afterward, the group reconvened at the premises of Sata Lahari Mutt. Following an evening prayer, they interacted with Brahmachari Bamadeva Nanda, who is based at the mutt. Concerns were raised regarding the neglected state of the sacred site where Atibadi Jagannath Das, the author of the Odia Bhagavata, had spent his last life. Participants expressed worry over the lack of initiatives by the Odia community to preserve this historically significant place.
The mutt’s sea side entrance often remains closed, and the vacant premises are being misused as toilets by visitors and locals. Moreover, it was also learnt that land mafias are reportedly eyeing the area, creating insecurity for the mutt residents. The participants called for intervention by the district administration and the state government to address these issues and facilitate the necessary development of the site.
Following their visit to Sat Lahari Mutt, the walkers participated in the Samudra Aarti at the Swargadwar beach front. The heritage walk concluded after this ceremony.
Prominent participants in the walk included heritage researcher Debi Prasanna Nanda, Kumar Aurojyoti, Pandit Sidhartha Acharya, Subas Chandra Mahapatra, Ashoka Nayak, Debasis Mishra, Priyankar Maharana, Biswamohan Sahu, and Bishwajyoti Tripathi, among others.