Puri (Orissa), Nov.26 (ANI): Indian and foreign artistes are actively participating in the five-day-long annual Puri Beach Festival.
The festival is aimed at promoting tourism in Puri, which is considered sacred by the Hindus due to the famous Jagannath Temple.
The carnival showcases the rich cultural heritage of Orissa, including its art, craft, cuisine and dances.
The participants said it is a great experience for them to be part of this festival as this gives them the opportunity to meet artistes from across the world.
"It's a nice feeling that exchange of culture is taking place at the festival. We are seeing the Odissi dance performance and audience would be watching our performance as well. Artistes have come from Kolkata and Punjab, so it s a good platform to meet artistes from across India and the visitors become aware of the variety of culture and traditions present in India. The festival is going on at the beach, so we had a lot of fun at the beach. It is a beautiful opportunity for us to perform at an international platform. It was a great experience," said Madav, a participant.
The festival features various cultural programmes with budding artistes performing classical and folk dances to showcase their talent.
"We are very happy because Puri Beach Festival is an international festival and we have participated for the first time in this festival. We are very happy and excited and we want to give in our best," said Upasana Bhagat, another participant.
According to the organisers, the festival will give a much-needed boost to tourism in the state.
Started in the year 1993, the festival also provides good business opportunities to the hotel owners.
The efforts of the state administration have yielded the desired result as the influx of the tourists has continued to increase.
The festival is being held from November 23-27. (ANI)
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