Jajpur: An NRI Odia doctor has pledged to donate Rs 1 crore to build a Jagannath temple in his native village in Odisha’s Jajpur district.
Dr Bhaskar Chandra Nayak, who has worked at several hospitals in New York City for the past 43 years, is an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath.
The temple will come up at Jagatpur village, for which villagers have already donated land. Nayak and his wife Indrajita performed ‘bhumi puja’ for the temple on June 1.
The cost of construction of the temple is estimated to be Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore. Construction will start after the monsoon and is set to be completed within a year.
“Lord Jagannath is the identity of Odia culture. Whatever I am today is because of Him. I remember how my father took me to Puri Jagannath Temple from my village by carrying me on his shoulder. Besides, we have built a Jagannath temple in America to spread Odia culture and tradition,” he was quoted as saying in a news report.
