Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday dedicated the Srimandir Parikrama Project to the public under which a 75-metre heritage corridor has been built around the perimeter of the 12th century Jagannath temple with facilities like circumamblulation by the devotees, smoother pedestrian flow, building of cloak rooms, toilets and 1.5-km-long bridge that would bring people close to the temple, bypassing the crowd in the holy town.
Soon after the inauguration, Puri king Dibyasingha Deb offered the ‘Purna Ahuti’ to the three-day Maha Yajna, which began on Monday as a precursor to the grand event. After concluding the yagna, Patnaik accompanied by his trusted aide VK Pandian, Puri king, dignitaries, and members of different cultural troupes walked around the heritage corridor for almost 1 km. The chief minister is scheduled to release a few documentary videos on the project and felicitate everyone involved in the execution of the Parikrama Project before leaving for Bhubaneswar.
Ahead of the inauguration, Patnaik in an open letter and video message on Tuesday described Lord Jagannath as the supreme identity of every Odia. “Lord Jagannath is the nerve centre of Odia identity and deeply associated with our history, tradition and culture. The deity is the symbol of religious harmony. This is a glorious moment in the history of Odisha that we have been blessed to witness the divine transformation,” Patnaik said.
“It is a day of celebration and devotion for the entire Odia community. So, I request, let us all celebrate this day, this festival, by surrendering to the Lord for his blessings. Let’s express our devotion by lighting a lamp, blowing conches, beating gongs, worshipping, singing sacred hymns and chanting Jai Jagannath. Let’s celebrate this day with devotion, joy and enthusiasm in every house of Odisha. I request all Jagannath devotees in the country and abroad to celebrate the opening of the heritage corridor project with devotion,” Patnaik said.
{{/usCountry}}“It is a day of celebration and devotion for the entire Odia community. So, I request, let us all celebrate this day, this festival, by surrendering to the Lord for his blessings. Let’s express our devotion by lighting a lamp, blowing conches, beating gongs, worshipping, singing sacred hymns and chanting Jai Jagannath. Let’s celebrate this day with devotion, joy and enthusiasm in every house of Odisha. I request all Jagannath devotees in the country and abroad to celebrate the opening of the heritage corridor project with devotion,” Patnaik said.
{{/usCountry}}Adhiraj Panigrahi, Congress MLA from Nuapara district, who attended the ceremony, said he was feeling blessed.
The event was attended by hundreds of dignitaries including judges of the Supreme Court, ministers of the Odisha government as well as those from neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh. After the inauguration, devotees were allowed to enter the corridor and temple. Tight security arrangements were in place with deployment of 80 platoons of the police force to provide security to the VIPs and devotees, maintain law and order, and manage traffic during the event.
Launched in the year 2021, the ₹300-crore “Shreemandir Parikrama” project is a confluence of 22 concurrently run development projects. Chief among these is a 7-metre-long buffer zone adjacent to the Meghnad Pacheri (the 24-ft-high wall forming the boundary wall of the shrine), a 10-metre-long “antar parikrama”(circumambulation) that will allow for the ceremonial procession of deities, an 8-metre-long parikrama path for devotees, and a 10-metre public convenience zone that has modern restrooms, a drinking water fountain, cloakrooms for 4,000 families at a time, and shelter pavilions. There is also a 5-metre service lane for the maintenance of the corridor, a 4.5-metre dedicated shuttle-cum-emergency lane, a 7.5-metre mixed traffic lane to aid the movement of vehicles around the corridor and a 7-metre-wide shaded footpath with trees.
A 1.5-km-long and 60-metre-wide trumpet bridge that will allow vehicles arriving from Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar, 60 kilometres away, leading straight into a multi level parking area 600 metres from the temple, bypassing the bustling towns traffic has also been created.
In the next phase of development, scheduled to begin a few months after the inauguration, a reception centre with a capacity of 6,000 devotees, and the rebuild of the Raghunandan library that houses rare books on scriptures of Jagannath temple, has also been planned.
Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Jena said people can see the temple in its full glory. “The development of the perimetre around the temple was a long overdue step as it had become difficult for pilgrims to see the temple properly due to the massive encroachments all around. Now, people will have two accesses to come to Jagannath Temple. The way the project has maintained the rich culture and heritage of the state is quite evident from the architecture. It has come out very beautifully,” he said.
Thousands of devotees today thronged Puri to witness the event. As many as 80 platoons of police force have been deployed here to provide security to the VIPs and devotees, maintain law and order, and manage traffic during the mega event. The administration installed around 500 CCTV cameras across the town as part of foolproof security arrangements for the inaugural ceremony.