Bhubaneswar: Engineering students from Australia who are on a student exchange programme to India, joined the 127th Ekamra Walks Old Town Circuit on Sunday and were delighted to see the beautiful Kalingan Temple Architecture and style.
A group of 27 walkers, including 10 students from Australia’s leading engineering colleges commenced the journey from the 10th Century built Mukteswar Temple courtyard at 6.30 am.
Dibya, an Odissi dancer who was also one of the walkers, showcased some of the postures that are depicted on temple walls associated with the dance. It was an electrifying moment to see the postures of the sculptures come to life.
Harry who is heading the Australian contingent informed that he did some research before coming to Bhubaneswar.
“Many of the tourists who come to India, visit places like Goa, Rajasthan or Kerala which are mainstream tourist destinations but we figured out Bhubaneswar is more culturally rich, cleaner and calmer. So we decided to visit this beautiful city of temples,” he said.
The walkers today were fascinated by the centuries old temple traditions which are being followed even today. They were especially curious about the food being prepared at the Ananta Vasudev temple kitchen which they got to see during the walk.
Ananta Vasudev is the only Vishnu shrine in the Ekamra Kshetra, which is mainly dotted with Shiva temples.
Georgia, a Mechatronic Engineering student from Australia said, “This walk has been amazing. It’s been a really great chance to see everything that the city has to offer and all the new initiatives the city administration is taking up.”
Srimoyee, a banking professional who works with HSBC in Kolkata, said she has been born and brought up in Bhubaneswar but has never visited these temples the way she did today.
