Odisha Govt To Spend Rs 5 Crore To ‘Raise’ Razed Raghunandan Library In Puri

Puri: The Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore for modernisation of Raghunandan Library of Emar Mutt, which was pulled down during the ongoing demolition drive in Puri.

“The money will be spent on digitisation of palm leaf manuscripts and old books of the library and will be available on web readers across the globe,” Puri Collector Balwant Singh said on Sunday.

The collector had earlier told the media that a modern library would be constructed on the same land beyond the 75-metre security zone.  Other articles and important books related to the Jagannath Temple and Jagannath culture will be kept there.

All books, manuscripts and furniture of the library were shifted to a building on the premises of the Collector’s office before it was razed earlier this week.

Raghunandan library was functioning from the first floor of 710-year-old Emar Mutt since 1921.

The collector further informed that 26 of 81 shopkeepers of Jagannath Ballav Craft Complex near the temple have been rehabilitated.

The demolition drive was stalled on Saturday evening in view of large number of devotees visiting Puri for Ganesh Puja on Sunday. It would be resumed on Tuesday.

Notably, all structures within 75 metres from the Meghanada Pacheri, the boundary wall of the temple, are being demolished for the safety and security of the 12th century shrine.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier announced projects worth Rs 500 crore to turn the Pilgrim Town into a World Heritage site and had appealed for cooperation from the people during the eviction and demolition of all structures within 75-metre radius of the temple’s boundary wall.

He had cited threat of terrorist attacks as one of the reasons for the decision.

Meanwhile, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has offered help to restore heritage structures.

“These monuments are part of the Odisha’s golden heritage. The mutts (shrines) are witnesses of our past glory and grandeur. They are the proven records of antiquity, but have fallen victims to the neglect of the owners, caretakers, rendering them unsafe.

INTACH has undertaken major restoration work in Odisha. With modern conservation techniques, many of these old structures (in Puri) can be restored,” it said in a memorandum to the state government.

The collector had told mediapersons on Saturday that only the unsafe and commercial shops of the mutts were being demolished and steps would be taken to strengthen the seats and temples of the deities to preserve them.