BHUBANESWAR: Assembly Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro promised assistance to Shree Jagannatha Society (SJS), UK for the proposed Jagannath temple coming up on the outskirts of London.Addressing members of the society at a virtual event organised to release the first newsletter of SJS, Patro said Jagannath culture is rapidly spreading across the world and once built the temple must be a testament of the universality appeal of the Lord. The first-of-its-kind temple in the UK and Europe will be constructed through donations from devotees worldwide on a 30-acre patch of land.
Chairperson of SJS Dr Sahadev Swain said the temple will be a major attraction for devotees and tourists from across the globe. The process of land acquisition on the outskirts of London has begun, he said.
The society has received a holy Neem tree bearing all the scriptural sacred markings associated with Lord Jagannath for carving the idols of the Trinity. A team of professionals of SJS is determined to complete the first phase of temple construction at an estimated cost of 4 million pounds by 2024.