Bhubaneswar/Puri: In a move aimed at protecting monastic heritage and restoring historic religious properties, the Odisha state government has decided to allocate dedicated funds for the development of the historic Govardhana Matha (mutt) in Puri, the venerable seat of the Puri Shankaracharya, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.
The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, signalling a comprehensive roadmap for both physical infrastructure development and spiritual tourism in the holy coastal city.
As part of this initiative, a comprehensive drive will be launched to identify, reclaim and protect the landed properties belonging to Govardhana Matha, both within Odisha and in other states. Over the centuries, devotees and royal patrons had endowed the ancient 9th-century monastic institution with substantial land holdings and properties, encompassing over 16 acres in Puri alongside vast estates nationwide. However, decades of administrative oversights, complex land tenure systems, and deliberate land-grabbing led to severe illegal encroachments, fraudulent transfers, and unauthorised occupations by private developers and hoteliers.
To ensure a systematic and lawful retrieval process, the government will deploy dedicated revenue officials, including an Additional Tahsildar, a Revenue Inspector (RI), and an Amin. These officers will identify, survey, and verify the original boundaries of the mutt’s land holdings based on the benchmark 1927 Settlement records. Once mapped, special eviction measures will be executed to clear all illegal encroachments and restore official ownership back to the religious institution.
Established in the ninth century by Adi Shankaracharya, Govardhan Math in Puri is the eastern cardinal seat (Purvamnaya Peetha) among the four primary Hindu monasteries in India. In recent years, the Odisha government had granted full administrative autonomy to the Math by removing it from state control under the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowments Act, putting it on par with the other three Shankaracharya monasteries in Sringeri, Dwarka, and Joshimath.
The decision addresses a long-standing demand of the Puri Shankaracharya and religious scholars, who have consistently advocated for the preservation and recovery of sacred monastic estates. The upcoming drive is expected to expedite pending land disputes in revenue courts and establish a clear, tamper-proof title deed repository for Govardhan Math.
Alongside land recovery, the administration announced plans to elevate Puri’s spiritual offerings by organizing the traditional ‘Mahodadhi Aarti’, a sacred evening prayer ritual dedicated to the ocean on Puri beach, on a grand and divine scale akin to the famed Ganga Aarti of Varanasi and Haridwar.
State Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari confirmed that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has already been prepared for this purpose, featuring enhanced waterfront infrastructure, dedicated ritual spaces, and improved facilities for thousands of daily pilgrims and tourists.