What is the Jagannath Temple Project to be inaugurated before Ram Mandir event?

We are five days away from the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. However, today (17 January) away from the Ayodhya buzz, the Odisha government led by Naveen Patnaik is all geared up to inaugurate its own ambitious temple project — the Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project.

Today, the Shreemandira Parikrama Project, aimed at transforming the temple town of Puri, will be inaugurated amid much fanfare and vigour. Prior to the big day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said, “Let us dedicate this day to the Lord and participate in this celebration with joy, devotion and devotion. Everything is the will of that great Lord. Jai Jagannath.”

But what is the Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project, officially known as the Shreemandira Parikrama Project? More importantly, what is the significance of this initiative?

Here’s what we know.

The Shreemandira Parikrama Project, explained

The Shreemandira Parikrama Project is a 75-metre-long corridor surrounding the Jagannath temple complex in Puri with the aim of providing security to the temple and numerous facilities to the visitors and enhancing the place visually, creating a ‘connect’ with the devotees.

Work on this ambitious project began in 2019 and has cost a whopping Rs 800 crore. Under this project, a 75-metre passage has been built around the outer walls (Meghanada Pacheri) of the shrine, providing breathing space.

In the past, the temple periphery was highly cluttered, clogged by illegal construction and mutts. There was a constant security threat, and risk of stampedes was ever-present.

Speaking of the initiative, Dr Krishan Kumar, secretary of the Public Works Department in Odisha as well as the chief administrator of the Puri temple administration told The Print that the most challenging part to the project was land acquisition.

“Many people with shops and homes around the perimeter would have been unwilling to part with them, considering the significance of Lord Jagannath. Because they have been staying there for so long we have given everyone a very handsome rehabilitation package. It’s like a golden handshake,” he was quoted telling The Print.

Now, according to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, the corridor will have a seven-metre Green Buffer Zone adjacent to the outer walls. There’s also a 10-metre inner path around the temple complex for ceremonial procession of deities.

Moreover, a 10-metre-long public convenience zone has been built with facilities such as restrooms, drinking water fountains and a shaded pathway for pilgrims and visitors. Keeping emergencies and natural disaster in mind, a 4.5-metre-wide lane has also been created.

As Puri collector Samarth Verma said, “It will provide the pilgrims with a good experience and enhance Puri’s tourism potential across the world.”

The many challenges

However, the Shreemandira Parikrama Project, undertaken by the Tata Projects wasn’t without obstacles.

People had protested the relocation, and the digging around the temple to lay sewer lines. They said it would endanger the structure, built in 1161.

There was also opposition from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who had claimed that the project was in violation of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act as the excavations and construction was happening around the prohibited zone.

Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had alleged that the project violated the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.

However, later the Supreme Court dismissed the pleas and the rest, as they say, is history.

Sub-collector Bhabataran Sahu speaking to The Week said, “The biggest concern of the people was that their families had lived around the temple for generations, and had woken up to the sight of fluttering temple flags from their windows. It required a lot of counselling and cajoling to convince them to take the rehabilitation and resettlement. For shops to be relocated, we even paid salaries to those they employed.”

The big inauguration

And on 17 January, the authorities will inaugurate the Shreemandira Parikrama Project. Representatives from 90 religious shrines and institutions across the country have been invited to attend the inauguration.

Notably, leaders from the Congress and BJP are unlikely to attend the grand event calling it a “political event”.

Congress legislative party leader Narasingha Mishra said that he would boycott the inauguration event. “As the BJP is using the Ram temple in Ayodhya for political gains, the BJD here is using the heritage corridor project for electoral gains. The government is using the public exchequer to further the ruling BJD’s electoral prospects,” he alleged. State BJP president Manmohan Samal also said Lord Jagannath does not belong to any particular political party. “The BJD has been using the lord for its political benefits,” Samal alleged.

However, the state government has refuted these claims and are going ahead with the inauguration ceremony today. Elaborate security arrangements have also been made for the inauguration, with the deployment of ultra-modern technology to monitor safety and security.

The state has also declared 17 January as a public holiday, with government offices, schools and colleges remaining shut today in honour of the project’s inauguration.

Significance of the project

Many view the inauguration of the project by the BJD as a counter to the BJP’s Hindutva push. The Naveen Patnaik-led BJP is eyeing a sixth term in the state, but the BJP is close on its heels. In the previous general election, the BJD lost eight of its 21 seats to the BJP.

Also, while the BJD had won 112 of the 147 Assembly seats in 2019, the BJP improved on its previous election tally by 13 to wrest 23 seats.

Some have even remarked that the BJD’s move mirrors that of the BJP — Patnaik has requested people to light diyas (lamps) and recite devotional hymns today, similar to Modi’s appeal ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.