CM Lays Foundation Stone for EKAMRA Project, Felicitates Citizens Who Donated Land

Bhubaneswar, June 28: On the auspicious day of Bahuda the abode of Lord Lingaraj in Old Town Bhubaneswar got reverberated  with the chanting of ``slokas’’ on Lord Shiva as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of the ambitious Rs 280 crore Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Plan. He also felicitated the citizens who had donated their valuable land for the EKAMRA Project and helped the State Government in shaping the Ekamra Kshetra in a new ``aavtar’’.

For the first time a project in the Old Bhubaneswar area got so much of involvement from the general public as the three-day-long event starting on June 26 will culminated late this evening. The event filled the Ekamra Kshetra in a new high of devotion and cultural extravaganza with the central theme of Lord Shiva. The representatives of different servitor groups also gifted a memento relating to Lord Lingaraj to the Chief Minister.

The multiple activities like ``yajnya’’, ``bhajan sandhya’’ (evening of devotional song) and the dance programmes with the Shiva Purana as its theme, have turned the entire Ekamra Kshetra area to a new happening place of the Temple City. Other activities like sky projection, exhibition on the EKAMRA Project, projection mapping at the BMC Market Complex, dance performance by the India’s Got Talent fame Prince Dance Group, beautiful lighting of Lingaraj Temple, Bindusagar and its ``Parikrama’’ and other smaller shrines nearby have made the Old Town area look like a newly-wed bride.

The Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Plan include construction of Lingaraj Entry plaza, Bhajan Mandap, Heritage Park and Kedar Gouri plaza, complete pedestrianisation of the Bindu Sagar road stretch, rejuvenation of Bindu Sagar and other holy ponds, Lingaraj Heritage Project, redevelopment of Kedar Gouri and Mukteswar temple premises, e-auto service, seamless traffic management facility etc.

The Odisha Government has taken steps to make the important event live on the electronic, digital and social media platforms as the project will showcase its commitment to revive the architectural heritage of Ekamra Kshetra and also to promote the heritage wealth of the city across the globe.