CUTTACK: Even as preparations are in full swing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lalitgiri for inauguration of a state-of-the-art museum, the locals have resented the misleading publicity about the jurisdiction of the famous Buddhist site.
According to villagers, though Lalitgiri village and the hill come under the revenue administration of Cuttack district, publicity campaign launched by the authorities ahead of the PM’s visit highlights that the place falls under the jurisdiction of Jajpur district. “As per the Record of Right (RoR), the entire Lalitgiri hill comprising five plots over an area of 91 acre comes under Mahanga tehsil in Cuttack district. But it is a matter of regret that the publicity campaign launched by the authorities mentions that Lalitgiri comes under the jurisdiction of Jajpur district,” said Lalitgiri Anchalika Unnayan Parishad president Rudra Singh.
Budhhayan, a leading Buddhist cultural organisation of Lalitgiri has urged the authorities to rectify the error.
Meanwhile, hectic preparations are on at Lalitgiri for the much-awaited inauguration of the modern and sophisticated museum built over 13,000 sq ft of land at a cost of `9.41 crore. The museum, located at the pedestal of Landa hill atop Lalitgiri, will display sacred bone relics of prominent Buddhist luminaries that were discovered from the site in bullet-proof glass case.
While officials of Bharat Sanchar Niagam Limited are busy linking internet facility by stretching OFC cable for live streaming of the inauguration programme through video conferencing, Archeological Survey of India (ASI) officials are shifting and arranging other Buddhist sculptures and images discovered during excavation in the museum.
Sources said the discovered relic caskets containing bone presumed to be that of Lord Buddha and his favourite disciples would be brought from ASI strong room and enshrined inside the bullet-proof glass case of the museum on December 24.