BHUBANESWAR/PURI : Amid the Gyanvapi mosque row, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has courted controversy over his statement that the Jagannath Temple in Puri was built over a Buddhist monument. Jagannath Sena, a socio-political outfit in Puri, has filed an FIR seeking his arrest.
Strongly opposing Owaisi's statement, convenor of Jagannath Sena Priyadarshan Pattnaik registered the complaint at the Singhadwar Police Station on Monday. While addressing a rally at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra in May, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief had quoted Swami Vivekananda stating that Srimandir was built by demolishing a Buddhist worship place.
Denying the presence of Buddhists, Pattnaik said that according to historians, the Jagannath Temple was built by Chodagangadeva. Pattnaik said that there is a folklore that people belonging to Buddhist community had occupied the temple for some period for which a debate had taken place.
"They had to undergo a test to prove their claim and subsequently they were defeated by our priests. They left the shrine after accepting their defeat," he said.