‘Pravasi Bharatiya Divas opportunity for Odisha to showcase potential’

BHUBANESWAR: The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) event is an opportunity for Odisha to showcase its rich cultural heritage and tradition before the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said. PBD, a three-day event beginning here on Wednesday, is celebrated once every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the central government and reconnect them with their cultural roots. Amid tight security, Jaishankar accompanied by his wife visited the famous 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark and the Shree Jagannath temple at Puri.

He also posted two pictures in the backdrop of the famous Konark wheels. Later, the minister visited the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and offered prayers to the deities of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath.

He spent around 40 minutes inside the temple and interacted with the priests and servitors regarding the temple and the deities. He said the delegates coming to attend the PBD event may visit the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri. Non-resident Indians have started arriving in Bhubaneswar to attend the PBD.