BHUBANESWAR: As Lord Jagannath ventures out on his annual sojourn at Puri, marking the Rath Yatra festival on Sunday, Ahmedabad city is all set to unveil its second temple dedicated to the Lord.
The second Jagannath temple, located at Adalaj along Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, will be inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on the holy occasion.
The temple has been built as a replica of the Jagannath temple at Puri by the Shri Jagannath Cultural Academy and Research Centre (JCARC). The deities are all carved from Neem wood, like the original, by artisans from Puri. The temple would practice all the rituals and customs in strict adherence to the time-table set by the original, JCARC sources said.
The temple has been spearheaded by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and Trust chairman SK Nanda. The objective is to promote and propagate Jagannath culture, which epitomises universal brotherhood. While temple will mirror the original Puri temple in build and rituals, it will also promote Odia culture, traditions, art and craft.
The temple, however, will not host Rath Yatra this year. It may introduce it in the future basing on the demand from the devotees and people, sources said.
