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Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Heads of Mission of 14 countries and their spouses as well as several other diplomats visited the Sun temple in Konark on Saturday.
The ambassadors were stupefied by the beauty of Sun temple and the way it has been maintained. Vetsop Namgyel, Bhutan Ambassador, said that the architectural design is something that deserves to be preserved by generations. "Well, this is my first time visiting the Konak Sun Temple. I have heard so much about it and what I see when I actually visit the site meets my expectation and even more than my expectation because this is a very important historic monument. The architectural design is something that deserves to be preserved forever as a world heritage. The sculptures, the carvings are very intricate and very masterfully done and that too is a reflection of the tremendous outstanding culture in the state of Odisha many, many centuries ago. And for this has been maintained and is continuing to be maintained. So it is a very, very good thing. And I'm sure it will attract more and more visitors over the years to come. And I look forward to this structure being maintained as a heritage center for all time to come," he said. Alice Cheng, Acting High Commissioner, Singapore praised the details of craftspersonship of the temple. "This is my first visit. No wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because it has an incredible structure. The details and the craft, and the preservation by Indians in the World Heritage site is commendable," he said. Patrick John Rata, High Commissioner of New Zealand to India said that he appreciated the efforts of the MEA to allow them to know the country better by taking these efforts. "We are at Konark, at the Sun Temple, and we appreciate the effort by the Ministry of External Affairs to allow the members of the diplomatic core to come here and learn about India. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this trip," he said. Jaideep Mazumdar Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs said that the group admired the beauty and scientific temperament of 'one of the most impressive' World Heritage UNESCO Site. "We, a group of 14 Ambassadors and High Commissioners have come to Konark Sun Temple. They are all enamoured by the beauty and art of Konark Temple. They admired the scientific temperament with which the temple was built centuries ago. This is one of the most impressive World UNESCO Site. We thank the Government of Odisha for letting us visit this place. Orissa has a reputation for being a state which is very rich in art, culture, literature, in every way, in all forms of culture, art, architecture, textile design, artisanship, it is really very rich and it was in full display here when we came to see," he said. Mazumdar said that they attended the Bali Jatra on Friday. It is very good for Odisha to showcase this and attract tourism. "Yesterday we attended the Bali Jatra for which these ambassadors and high commissioners had come. So these are occasions to showcase Odisha to the rest of the world and we in the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi will promote this in the future also. This is the first time that in Bali Jatra we have had so many ambassadors coming. Next year also we will continue to do this and project all that Orissa has to offer to the rest of the world," he said. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday inaugurated the world-famous Bali Jatra festival in Cuttack on Friday. Bali Jatra (Voyage to Bali) celebrates Odisha's rich maritime history and commemorates India's historical and civilisational links with Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific, which have evolved through the maritime journeys undertaken by Indian seafarers over thousands of years, as per the Ministry of External Affairs release. (ANI)
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