Puri Heritage Walk explores the legacy of Zilla School and Sudarsana Craft Museum

Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: The 14th edition of the Puri Heritage Walks, held yesterday, celebrated the glorious past and evolving legacy of Puri Zilla School, one of Odisha’s oldest educational institutions. Founded in 1835 as the Puri Free Academy in Kundheibenta Sahi, the school was renamed Puri Zilla School on November 1, 1853, and came under government management in 1858.

Participants were welcomed by senior teacher Biswajit Banerjee and Rabinarayan Sahoo, General Secretary of the Alumni Association, who shared captivating anecdotes about the school’s evolution. Walkers explored its modern e-library, language lab, gymnasium, and smart classrooms, learning that the gymnasium once served as a cinema hall for soldiers during World War II.

Home to over 1,800 students, the school boasts a distinguished alumni list featuring Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Pandit Nilakantha Das, Acharya Harihar, Bhakta Kabi Madhusudan Rao, Kalindi Charan Panigrahi, and others. Today, it continues to excel in academics and sports, producing champions in Kabaddi, table tennis, and hockey, with support from the Tata Group in developing grassroots training facilities.

The walk also took participants to the Sudarsana Craft Museum, founded in 1972 by Padma Bhushan Sudarsana Sahoo, which showcases Odisha’s ancient stone sculpture traditions. Guided by his son Rabinarayan Sahoo, visitors explored its Buddhist connections and learned from artisans about the art of stone carving.

The event concluded at PHW convenor Dr. Kumar Arujyoti’s heritage house near Puri railway station, where the “Echoes of Heritage” library was inaugurated by President awardee teacher Raghunatha Mohapatra. Poet Kaasturika Mishra added a lyrical charm with her poetry recital. Over 30 participants joined the event, which ended with PHW Advisor Devi Prasana Nanda and Convenor Biswaranjan Dehury outlining future heritage initiatives.