Kendrapara, Odisha: A 500-year-old banyan tree, mute witness to times gone by, has been accorded tourist spot status at Sakhibata in Kendrapara district.The gigantic tree, spread across 1.3 acres of land with about 600 trunks

Kendrapara, Odisha: A 500-year-old banyan tree, mute witness to times gone by, has been accorded tourist spot status at Sakhibata in Kendrapara district.

The gigantic tree, spread across 1.3 acres of land with about 600 trunks and sub-trunks, has been granted the tourist spot status by the state government following visits of tourists in the area throughout the year, District Tourist Officer Bijoy Kumar Mohanty said today.

Funds have been sanctioned for building tourism infrastructure. A project has been permitted to have good road connectivity to the place. Besides a tourist cottage is being built, Mohanty said.

The banyan tree withstood the devastating 1999 super cyclone.

A 200-year-old temple is still intact at the spot. The temple is also a reminder of historic importance of the place, he said.

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