CM unveils light & sound show at Konark

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the much-awaited light and sound show at Sun Temple of Konark on Saturday in presence of Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, local MLA Surendra Sethi and other officials.

The history of the majestic and magnificent Sun Temple of Konark came alive on the walls of the 13th century temple with eight high-definition projectors using laser technology.

“The light and sound show at the Sun Temple is a milestone for the tourism industry of Odisha,” the chief minister said.

Official sources said the project worth Rs 5.5 crore will go a long way in helping tourists and visitors coming from different parts of the world to know the history of the magnificent temple. “The show depicts the popular legend of Dharmapada apart from the historical and religious significance of the temple constructed by King Narasimha Dev-1 in 1255 CE,” said tourism minister Ashok Panda.

The 40-minute animated show has Odia, Hindi and English versions for which Bijay Mohnaty, Sekhar Suman and Kabir Bedi have lend their voice respectively. Visitors can pick Odia, Hindi and English version while buying the ticket and hear the voice-over in the chosen language with the headphone provided to them. This is the first-of-its-kind facility in the country, the sources said.

The light and sound show will be conducted daily between 7 pm and 8 pm barring Mondays and ticket price is Rs 30 per person. The programme can be watched by as many as 250 persons at one time, the sources said.

The Odisha government had signed an agreement with India Tourism Development for the project earlier in 2014. It got delayed due to technical reasons, the sources added.