Very Happy To Visit Odisha: Former Nepal King

Bhubaneswar: Former King of Nepal, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over his visit to Odisha.

“I am very happy to come to Odisha. Jai Jagannath,” he said soon after his arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here in the morning.

As per the tour itinerary, the king, after arriving in Bhubaneswar on February 7 will visit Rathipur near Jatni and inaugurate the ‘Mission Wow Cow Goshala. After performing rituals, he will address a public meeting.

On the next day, he will visit Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar and then leave for Sakhigopal for a darshan of the Lords at Radha Krishna temple.

The former king will return to Bhubaneswar in the evening and leave for Puri on a three-day visit. As per the invitation from the Gobardhan Peeth he will attend the two-day silver jubilee ceremony on the ‘Pattabhisheka’ of the Shankaracharya on February 9 and 10.

After having a night halt in Puri, the former king will visit the Shri Jagannath temple on February 11 for the darshan of the Lords and return to Bhubaneswar in the evening.

He will leave for Nepal in the morning on February 12, the sources added.

Meanwhile, the Chhatisa Nijog of Shri Jagannath temple in Puri at a meeting on January 5 finalised the schedule for the rituals of the Lords to be performed by the former Nepal king at the Ratna Simhasan inside the sanctum sanctorum.

As per the decision taken at the meeting, the servitors will open the Singhadwara (main gate) of the temple at 3 AM and complete the Bhoga Mandap rituals by 9.30 AM. After the Bhoga Mandap rituals, they would perform temple purification rituals.

No devotees will be allowed inside the temple from 9.30 AM to 12 noon on the day.