PURI: Three doors of the Garbhagruha of Sri Jagannath Temple would be reconstructed and given a silver coating. Addressing mediapersons on Saturday, temple administrator (development) AK Jena said the Kalahat, Beheran and Jaibijay doors, which have worn out, would be rebuilt with seasoned teak wood and coated with silver.
A devotee has offered to donate about 1,920 kg of silver for coating of the doors. Other four doors of the Garbagruha also need replacement. Around Rs 18 crore has been earmarked for the repair works, he informed. Earlier, the temple body meeting had resolved to replace the old doors. A Bhubaneswar-based jeweller has been entrusted with the design of the new doors.
Jena further said though a devotee has agreed to donate the required silver for coating of the doors, the matter is yet to be discussed in the temple managing body. “Only the committee can take a final decision in this regard,” he added. Many servitors said the four remaining gates should also be silver coated.
Meanwhile, the three chariots used in Rath Yatra this year have been dismantled and stored in the Gundicha temple complex. The Raths would be reassembled and placed in the proposed museum on the Jagannath Ballav Mutt premises.
Dharmashala protest enters eighth day
Puri: The dharna of BJP workers protesting the sale of Bagala Dharmashala land to hoteliers entered its eighth day on Saturday. The agitators said Puri Collector had no right to sell Dharmashala land which was used by economically-backward devotees. National spokesperson of BJP Sambit Patra had launched the protest against the land sale in front of the Dharmashala a week back.