Odia Paksha: Heritage Marathon Flags Off from Mukteswar Temple

Bhubaneswar, April 2026: On the fifth day of the ‘Odia Paksha’ (Odia Fortnight) celebrations, the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, organized a mega ‘Heritage Marathon’ (Heritage Run) in the capital’s historic Ekamra Kshetra today.

The run commenced at 5:30 AM from the premises of the Mukteswar Temple, a masterpiece of Odishan architecture. The route showcased the city’s rich cultural landscape, passing through: Rameswar Temple, Vivekananda Marg, Utkal Kanika Galleria Mall, Lewis Road, BJB College, Rabi Talkies Square.The marathon concluded at the historic Rajarani Temple.

More than a Thousand of participants, including athletes, youth, persons with disabilities (Divyangjan), and local citizens, joined senior officials in the event. The gathering took a collective pledge to protect and promote the rich heritage and monuments of Odisha.

The top performers of the Heritage Marathon were honored for their achievement:

Chandan Samal – First Place
Siddharth Kumar Mishra – Second Place
Vijay Agrawal – Third Place
The winners were presented with medals and felicitated. Additionally, the Department of Sports and Youth Services awarded medals to all participants to acknowledge their enthusiasm and contribution to the cause.

The Hon’ble MLA of Ekamra, Shri Babu Singh attending as the Chief Guest, emphasized that the marathon is more than just a sporting event; it is a vital initiative to connect the younger generation with their roots.
” Our ancient temples and monuments are symbols of Odia identity (Asmita), and their preservation is our moral responsibility ,” he stated.
He further expressed his gratitude to Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi and Hon’ble Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Shri Suryabanshi Suraj, for spearheading this campaign to bridge the gap between the youth and the state’s glorious history.

The event featured a distinguished lineup of guests from the spheres of government, athletics, and entertainment. Leading the delegation from the Sports and Youth Services Department were Commissioner-cum-Secretary Shri Bhupendra Singh Poonia, alongside Additional Secretaries Shri Ashok Kumar Panda and Shri Bijay Kumar Swain. The gathering was further elevated by the presence of Olympian Ms. Anuradha Biswal and popular Odia film actress Ms. Sivani Sangita, blending administrative leadership with star power.

Avinash Sagar