A team of students from Srinivas School of Architecture (SSA), Valachil, Mangalore arrived here on Sunday joined the Ekamra Walks to study the Kalingan temple design and architecture as part of their study curriculum. After spending more than two hours studying the temples with three distinct styles, i.e. Rekha, Pidha and Khakhra style of Kalingan architecture, the students and faculty members of SSA were of the opinion that what the sketches and photos in their text books depict, the temples of Odisha and especially Bhubaneswar, are far more beautiful and carry a distinct signature of the respective times and the creative genius of the old school of architecture.
All students of SSA Mangalore, under Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belgaum, Karnataka, are in the third year of their undergraduate studies in architecture asked questions to tour guides to know about the temple structures, style, types of stone used in them, influences of various school of thoughts, religion, society and the Royals, who through different periods ruled over Kalinga and also had acted as the financer of these magnificent edifices in stone. The students were guided by Associate Professor leslie Dias and Assistant Professor Anvi Gor. More than 30 students of the Xavier School of Communications from Xavier University Bhubaneswar, led by their faculty members also joined the heritage walk and learnt the specialty of Kalingan temple building process and architecture.
Besides others, Dr Ramchandra R Chavan from Maharashtra, who is in news recently for his solo cycle trip from Malvan in Maharashtra to Konark, covering 2,006 km, also joined the walk with Director Tourism Dr Nitin Jawle.