Anugola: Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Friday announced that Gurujang village, the birthplace of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati – near Talcher in Anugola district will be developed as a ‘Heritage Village,’ and the panchayat will be transformed into an ‘Adarsh Panchayat’ (Model Panchayat).
Addressing the gathering at the birth centenary celebrations of the seer, the CM highlighted his selfless service in the remote and dense forests of Kandhamala, where he dedicated his life to serving tribal communities, establishing ashrams in Chakapada and Jalespatta, and promoting Sanskrit education among tribal girls through Kanya Gurukuls. “The seeds of culture sown by him have today grown into a mighty tree, and the awareness he initiated against religious conversions has become a resolute Sanatani resolve across the state. Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati is the ‘Guru, Granth and Garima’ of our society,” he noted.
Majhi also mentioned several important decisions taken by the state government to honour him. The Phulbani Government Medical College has been renamed Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati Medical College. In addition, ₹13 crore has been sanctioned from the Chief Minister’s Special Assistance (CMSA) fund for the development and heritage conservation of the Swami’s karmabhoomi — the Jaleshpata Ashram, ashram school and kanyashram. Of this, ₹5 crore will be used to construct a 300-seat girls’ hostel, ₹3 crore for conservation of the heritage site, and the remaining amount for a mega river-lift project to supply drinking water, he said.
Recalling the brutal murder of the seer on the night of Janmashtami in 2008, the Chief Minister criticised the then government for its “failure negligence and appeasement politics”. He alleged that the reports and files of the Justice Mahapatra Commission and Justice Naidu Commission, constituted to inquire into the killing, had gone missing from the Lok Seva Bhawan as part of a deliberate conspiracy to protect the culprits.
He assured the people of Odisha that the truth behind his murder would be fully uncovered.
Concluding his address, Majhi called upon today’s Gen Z youth to reconnect with their roots — education, culture, the Vedas, Sanskrit, cow protection and Sanatan traditions — and to participate in nation-building.
Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi recalled the spiritual and social contributions of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati and urged society to follow the path shown by him. “Today’s youth must draw inspiration from the Swami’s sacrifice and struggle to preserve foundational education, ethics and Sanatan culture.”
Former Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan, who also attended the event, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister for declaring the Swami’s birthplace Gurujang a ‘Heritage Village’ and the Gurujang Panchayat a ‘Model Panchayat’. He described the decision as a befitting tribute to the Swami’s immortal memory that would further enhance the region’s spiritual and cultural pride.
Dharmendra said the Swami was not merely a sanyasi but the principal torchbearer of education, values and social awakening in tribal areas. “His contribution in making tribal brothers and sisters self-reliant and restoring their self-respect in a remote region like Kandhamala was unparalleled. The social revolution he began by imparting Sanskrit education and moral values to tribal girls through the Jaleshpata and Chakapada ashrams remains a source of inspiration for the present generation. The steps taken by the state government for the development of Gurujang would help carry forward the Swami’s ideals and spirit of service.”
The birth-centenary celebration was attended by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, MP Rudra Narayan Pani, Kandhamal MP Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Parjang MLA Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan, Pallahara MLA Ashok Mohanty, Hindol MLA Simarani Nayak and numerous saints and seers, distinguished guests, and thousands of devotees who had come from different parts of the state.