Odisha to host 8-day long 'Eco-pad yatra' to spread environmental awareness

With a message of environmental awareness, the 16th edition of 'Eco Pad-Yatra', led by Buddhist spiritual leaders Gyalwang Drukpa and Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche of Hemis Monastery, will start from Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

In its 13th year, the 140-km yatra will see participants including over 350 monks travel by foot through five important Buddhist sites -- Bhubaneswar, Udayagiri, Dhauli, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri.

"In ancient times the Buddha walked with his disciples and taught them through his physical actions as well as verbal expressions.

"Similarly, through this 'Eco Pad Yatra', we are communing with one another through action, drawing inspiration from the Buddhist heritage of Odisha, and spreading an urgent environmental message along with it," Gyalwang Drukpa said.

During the course of the yatra, the pilgrims will offer daily prayers for peace and compassion, perform large-scale cleanings of the terrain along its route, he added.

The event, undertaken by Drukpa lineage, also claimed to promote awareness about the Buddhist heritage sites of Odisha, where cultural relics and monastic structures have been preserved for hundreds of years.

The yatra is set to conclude on October 31 in Ratnagiri, Odisha.