By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Member of Parliament and former Union Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan visited various heritage, historical and tourist places during his visit to Bargarh district today.
Shri Pradhan visited the archaeological site of ‘Asurgarh’, which is about 2000 years old, near Barpali, and had detailed discussions with the District Administrative Officer, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials and researchers and students of Gangadhar Meher University and directly inspected the extensive historical remains and evidence of ancient civilization found in the excavations. On this occasion, Union Minister Shri Pradhan said that this ‘Asurgarh’, located in the remote area of Barpali, is more than 2000 years old. This ancient site is a unique treasure trove of our rich culture, art and civilization. In ancient civilization, like Harappa and Mohenjodaro, there are many historical archaeological sites in the unincorporated Sambalpur region. There is a lot of evidence of timeless civilization in areas like Asurgarh and Bhimmandal.
In 2022, I wrote to the Department of Culture, Government of India, requesting for a survey of this site. With the cooperation of Gangadhar Meher University and the efforts of ASI, excavation work has been done here and scientific evidence has been collected. In the coming days, this research, investigation and excavation work will be further expanded with the joint efforts of ASI, Gangadhar Meher University and local educational institutions.
He further stated that by bringing this ancient heritage of ours to the public with the support of the Double Engine Government, the sense of history and civilization will increase among the students. This will create huge tourism potential in the region and give a new look to the local socio-economic progress. It is the joint responsibility of all of us to preserve this glorious heritage of ours and pass it on to the future generations.
During his visit to Barpali, he visited the holy birthplace of the immortal poet Gangadhar Meher, the immortal seeker of Odia literature. He said, “I had the privilege of visiting the ‘Subhav Kavi Gangadhar Meher Janmapitha’ and Kavi Bhawan in Barpali. The poet’s timeless poetic creativity and great culture are still alive in this holy birthplace. This birthplace is a great signature of our culture and identity and a source of eternal inspiration. His invaluable contribution to Odia literature and culture will be remembered forever. Earlier, Shri Pradhan had also garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Barpali.
During the visit, the MP visited the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary and interacted with the tourists. Later, he visited the village of ‘Dhodrokusum’ in Debrigarh, which was praised in Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program, visited the nature home-stay and visited the house of a local Maithili Bhui.
On this occasion, Shri Pradhan said that innovative nature home-stay projects like ‘Dhodrokusum’ have created a unique example in terms of revenue generation as well as social and economic empowerment of the local people. These women, who were previously dependent on the forest, are now earning their livelihood by connecting them with ‘Debrigarh Eco-Tourism’ and protecting nature. He thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister for giving special recognition at the national level through ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to the commendable efforts of the villagers towards wildlife conservation, rural development and self-reliance of local women. Shri Pradhan said that this effort to become self-reliant along with protecting the environment is a source of inspiration for the entire society.
