Puri: Ahead of the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa inauguration ceremony, Odisha’s Puri is experiencing light drizzle under the influence of easterly winds, the SRC informed on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to inaugurate the project at around 1.20 pm after the ‘Purna Ahuti’ ritual marking the end of the 3-day Maha Yajna. A large number of people have already started congregating in the town to witness the historic event. The pilgrim town is currently under four-layer security blanket, akin to measures taken during the annual Rath Yatra, and all decked up with flowers and lights for the occasion.
The Rs 800 crore project abutting the Meghanada Pacheri, the stone boundary wall around Jagannath Temple, has a 7-metre green buffer zone and a 10-metre pedestrian-only inner circumambulation that will be used for parikrama (clockwise circumambulation) of temple, similar to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi. It is part of the state government’s Rs 3,200-crore Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture Scheme.
HOW IS ALL BEGAN
Conceived in 2016, the Puri Heritage Project was officially unveiled in December 2019, with the vision of transforming the holy town of Puri into an international heritage destination.
It was on August 6, 2019, that the state government accepted the recommendations of Justice BP Das Commission, which was constituted in 2016 to suggest reforms in functioning of the 12th-century shrine. It then decided to widen the roads around the temple to 75 metre from Meghanada Pacheri and also develop other amenities.
Land acquisition for the project began in November 2019 with over 600 people living around the temple giving up 15.64 acres critical for the development of the security zone. The development and infrastructure works, including land acquisition, was done by the state government under the ABADHA scheme following a gazette notification on August 27, 2019.
Also Read: Grand Unveiling Of Puri Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project In Odisha Today; Things To Know
A unanimous resolution was passed in the state assembly in February 2020 to begin the first phase of work at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore.
THE ROADBLOCKS
The project, which was supposed to begin in January 2021, got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and National Monuments Authority’s draft heritage byelaws, prohibiting any construction activity in the 100 metre periphery of the 12th-century shrine and also within another 200 metres without its nod. It was, however, withdrawn in February that year, in the wake of strong resentment from different quarters, including both BJD and BJP, in the state.
Work on the parikrama plan began and on February 15, 2021, after the final master plan was approved by the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee. Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, laid the foundation stone of the project in the presence of the CM following a three-day yajna (special ritual) on November 24 that year.
Further roadblocks came in February 2022, when the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) in Puri asked the state government to stop excavation, as it violated Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958. It told Orissa High Court that Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC), entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the ambitious project, might have destroyed archaeological remains around the temple by carrying out deep excavation to build common facilities such as urinals and cloakrooms around the world heritage site under Srimandir Parikrama Plan.
However, all roadblocks related to this were cleared in September 2022, when NMA granted no objection certificate (NOC) for construction of the Shree Jagannath Reception Centre – the most important component of the project.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) against the construction activity around the Jagannath temple, saying the work to provide amenities like toilets and cloak rooms was in the public interest. It termed the petitions “frivolous” and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the appellants.
THE PROJECT
The project is aimed at enhancing the visual connection between devotees and Jagannath temple, now centred around an expansive 75-metre parikrama, which provides a clear view of the majestic 214.8 ft-high shrine and, its Neelachakra (blue wheel). It also incorporates parking areas, Shree Setu (a bridge), Shree Danda, running parallel to Bada Danda to ease pilgrim movement, pilgrimage centre, restroom facilities, clock rooms, and various other amenities for visitors in and around the shrine.
The parikrama includes a seven-metre wide green buffer zone that protects the outer walls of the temple, Meghanada Pacher, and a ten-metre wide inner ‘pradakshina’ path, which is a pedestrian-only path to be used by devotees for parikrama of the temple.
The outer pradakshina comprises of landscape zones, pilgrim amenities, and emergency service lanes.
The 14-m-wide garden had plants integral to Jagannath culture – saptaparni, patali, baula, kadamba, gangasiuli, katha champa, swarna champa and shrubs like katha rangani, swarna ghanti, galphimia yellow carpet, karabira, sugandharaj and kunda malli. The 8-m outer Pradakshina is also covered by trees on either side, which will act as a shaded pathway for visitors/pilgrims.
The 10-metre public convenience zone is located at a distance of 40 m from the temple’s boundary and has nine restrooms, cloakrooms, drinking water fountains, information-cum-donation kiosks and shelter pavilions for shade and rest. There is a4.5-meter service lane for service vehicles and maintenance of the corridor and another 4.5-meter-wide dedicated to shuttle cum emergency lane for any kind of emergency and disaster management.
A 630-metre long road (Shree Danda) has been constructed at a cost of Rs 90 crore to provide a direct connect from the multi-level car parking inside Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre to Dolabedi (Shree Mandir Parikrama site).
A 2.3 km-long 4-lane Shree Setu (trumpet bridge) has been built at a cost of Rs 200 crore to provide a direct access to tourists to the multi-level car parking inside Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre in the town from the Puri NH bypass while avoiding long traffic snarls. A gate ahas been built to welcome the devotees entering Puri through Shree Setu. There is also a View Tower from where tourists can get a glimpse of the entire city.
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