Odisha: Buddhist 'Eco Padyatra' on environmental awareness concludes today

Along the way, the devotees undertook a cleaning drive in Khandagiri and Paradip beach beside collecting toxic litter and educated locals on the preservation of environment.

An eight-day 'Eco Padyatra' of Buddhist monks, nuns and devotees of the Drukpa lineage to raise awareness on the preservation of the environment in Odisha has come to an end.

The 140-km 'Eco Padyatra', flagged off by the state's Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda on October 24 in Bhubaneshwar ended in Ratnagiri in Jajpur district Wednesday.

Over 100 monks and nuns and more than 200 devotees from across the world undertook the journey under the leadership of Gyalwang Drukpa and Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and visited five important Buddhist sites of the state, the organisers of the event said in a statement.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had expressed his support to the initiative and thanked them for highlighting the Buddhist sites of the state, the statement said.

Gyalwang Drukpa said "our padyatra was aimed at reminding people about the importance of the Mother Nature and the teachings of Buddha. The love and support we received from the local population all along the way have given us a lot of hope. We do believe that locals will continue to contribute toward saving Mother Nature and living in peace with their environment."

Along the way, the devotees undertook a cleaning drive in Khandagiri and Paradip beach beside collecting toxic litter and educated locals on the preservation of environment.

Over 1000 kg of waste, largely plastic water bottles and snack packages, were collected and disposed of by the devotees during the course of their journey, the statement said.

(With inputs from agencies.)