Bhubaneswar : The foundation stone laying ceremony for the memorial of Paika Rebellion, to be set up by the IndianOil Foundation, has been performed at the historic foot-hills of Barunei, Bhubaneswar, today in the august presence of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Hon’ble President of India, along with a galaxy of dignitaries and a distinguished gathering of guests and invitees.
The dignitaries participating in the event included the First Lady of India Smr. Sabita Kovind, Shri Biswabhusan Harichandan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh; Shri Ganeshi Lal, Governor of Odisha; Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha; Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel; Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (IC) of Tourism and Culture; Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State of Animal Husbandry, The then President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, had graced the occasion. In the event, it was proposed to construct a befitting memorial of Baxi Jagabandhu at Barunei Hill laying emphasis on the historical significance of the peasant-soldiers of Odisha and their valued contribution to India’s struggle for independence.
As we lay the foundation of this memorial, let us also pay homage of all the martyrs of the Paika Rebellion and seek blessings for their families.”Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Petroleum Minister welcomed Honb’le President and said, “Being an Odia, it is a proud moment for me. In the august presence of Hon’ble President of India and dignitaries at the historic foot-hills of Barunei, today, the descendants of martyrs of the great Paika Rebellion remembered their ancestors and after 200 years of historic Paika Rebellion, today we are going to built up a Memorial in order to pay homage to all the martyrs of the Paika Rebellion.
Today we are going to create a history. For more years to come, this historic place and the memorial to be built up will be a pride for the state of Odisha and it will certainly become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world tourism map. I congratulate all the martyrs families and every Odia on this auspicious occasion”. In order to pay homage to all the martyrs of the Paika Rebellion, a fitting memorial is being built by the IndianOil Foundation, a non-profit trust set up by IndianOil.
The State attracted foreign rulers who enforced their laws and regulations on the people of Odisha, he said”.Highlighting India’s struggle for independence, Honb’le President added that there had been several memorable incidents, movements and freedom-fighters associated with the freedom struggle, prominent among them being the Paika Rebellion. To give due recognition to Paika Bidroha, the peasant rebellion that took place in 1817 against the British East India Company, in the history of the freedom struggle of India, the then Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley, had in his Budget speech for 2017-18 announced the Government’s plan to commemorate 200 years of the rebellion led by Bakshi Jagabandhu appropriately. to showcase the unique architectural features of the UNESCO world heritage site for visitors from India and abroad. The world-class Interpretation Centre has been designed and developed as a user-friendly and interactive new-age museum, with multiple exhibits and multimedia displays.
The Foundation is currently developing similar tourist-friendly infrastructure facilities at five more heritage sites in India. They are: the Khajuraho group of temples in Madhya Pradesh, Kolhua near Vaishali in Bihar and Kanheri Caves in Maharashtra (both of them being highly acclaimed Buddhist sites), and Bhoganandishwara Temple (Nandi Hills) in Karnataka. Two more projects have also been identified for development, that is, Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan and Dholavira in Gujarat.
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