Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader and former MP Tathagata Satpathy has criticised the Odisha government for undertaking demolitions around the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Satpathy tweeted on Sunday that the demolition may not be “illegal”, but it was certainly uncouth and uncaring. “The century-old mutts and edifices, instead of being protected are now razed. I prefer Rome type preservation to a Varanasi style of destruction,” he pointed out.
Puri Grand Road in early 1900s. Now all this has changed. Preservation of heritage helps culture live for future generations to understand and relish pic.twitter.com/oOakEBFg44
— Tathagata Satpathy (@SatpathyLive) September 1, 2019
He further said that it was easy to destroy a monument, but very difficult to create one. “Puri Emar Mutt was built in 1200 AD. Now it is demolished. I wonder why we Indians do not appreciate our past and blame all our faults on our ancestors. I feel we are creating an uglier history now. The landscape of the Puri Grand Road (Bada Danda) is now changed. Preservation of heritage helps culture lives for future generations to understand and relish,” he observed.
Commenting on Satpathy’s statement, BJD Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya said he does not know how others interpret culture. “If the Jagannath temple and Puri are beautified, we can make them one of the best heritage destinations in the world,” he maintained.
