The importance of Puri as a destination of pilgrimage has been profoundly enhanced since last weekend with the Odisha Assembly approving a resolution on the Rs 3,200-crore Jagannath Heritage Corridor project.
And when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik glorified Lord Jagannath as the “greatest identity of the state of Odisha and its people”, he was fairly explicit during the video presentation that quite apart from underlining Puri’s religious connotation, “all our traditions, beliefs and culture are centred around him and he is a symbol of Odia esteem and pride”.
Jagannath temple has had its quota of ugly controversies and discord within the religious class, as often as not resulting in temporary closure. All this ought now to lapse in the limbo of history not the least because of the immense value addition, symbolised by the heritage corridor project.
Hence the proposal to take a vow to complete the plan for what they call “Srimandir Parikrama”. The other proposal is to give Odias and devotees an opportunity to contribute to the heritage project. “Every Odia, every Jagannath lover has a desire to participate in this project and contribute in their own way. I firmly believe that this plan is not only for the government or for the temple administration. It is the plan of 4.5 crore Odias”.
Thus did the Chief Minister seek to involve the people without handing over the task to the servitor class and those connected with the day-to-day running of the temple, not to forget the pandas or those who facilitate entry to the sanctum sanctorum, worship, and the distribution of bhog, with one’s entitlement dependent on the amount that he/she is prepared to shell out.
Yet another proposal, according to Mr Patnaik, is to be grateful to the people of the temple town who have sacrificed considerably for the Shrimandira Parikrama plan. It is fervently to be hoped that the Odisha government will abide by the three recommendations on the Heritage Corridor, specifically the security of Jagannath Mandir, the safety of devotees, and creation of a spiritual ambience.
As often as not, the ambience has been vitiated by pandas who are ever so eager to make a fast buck. It is an ambitious project that will boast multiple thrust areas ~ notably the building of the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), redevelopment, Jagannath Cultural Centre, and improvement of the beach front.
The project is important for the state and its people, and hopefully there will be no impediments set by the political class. It is imperative, therefore, for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress to cooperate with the ruling Biju Janata Dal in putting this noble project in place. If another kerfuffle is to be avoided, as it must, the grand project, so close to the sea, must be in conformity with conditions of a heritage zone.