Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday inaugurated Rs 800-crore heritage corridor project and dedicated the Srimandir Parikrama Project to the public. The newly inaugurated corridor in Odisha aims to provide improved amenities for pilgrims around the historic Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa was officially unveiled by Patnaik in the presence of Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Divyasingha Deb and representatives of about 90 temples, including the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal, Mahakal Temple in Ujjain, Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Kashi, Jagannath temples in Dubai, Australia and UK, and thousands of devotees.

“The project has been possible due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath,” the CM said. After inaugurating the project, Patnaik walked bare feet along with Puri's titular king Divyasingha Deb and other dignitaries in a procession around the temple.

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Today, Puri was decked up with flowers, colourful lights and graffiti for the occasion. The event in Odisha was attended by several dignitaries including judges of the Supreme Court, ministers of the Odisha government as well as those from neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh.

 

After the inauguration, devotees were allowed to enter the corridor and temple. Tight security arrangements were in place with the deployment of 80 platoons of the police force to provide security to the VIPs and devotees, maintain law and order, and manage traffic during the event.

The Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project of Lord Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri has been completed by the Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC) and handed over to the temple administration Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). The Heritage project includes parking places, Shree Setu (a bridge), pilgrimage centres, a new road to facilitate the movement of pilgrims, toilets for male, and female devotees and servitors, clock rooms and electrical work with other visitors' amenities.

Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath, along with sister Devi Subhadra and elder brother Mahaprabhu Shri Balabhadra, are worshipped in Puri (the Purusottama Kshetra). Though no changes have been made in the temple, the area within the 75-metre corridor of the boundary wall of the Jagannath temple has been developed. Jagannath Temple is one of the four dhammas that every Hindu is advised to visit.