BHUBANESWAR/PURI: The first sets of invitations for the January 17 grand spiritual event at Puri reached the invitees on Tuesday, marking the start of the countdown for the Odisha government’s flagship Srimandir Parikrama project.
As is the religious custom, the first stop was Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar where an invitation was extended to Lord Lingaraj by a 50-member delegation seeking blessings for the smooth conduct of the event.
The next halt was Naveen Niwas, where the delegation invited Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the inauguration.
The chief minister laid the foundation stone for the Srimandir Parikrama project on November 24, 2021. The delegation including chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Ranjan Das, Puri collector Samarth Verma, managing committee members of the Jagannath temple and senior servitors invited the CM.
Earlier, amidst chanting of mantras accompanied by beating of ‘mrudangas’ and cymbals, 30 teams also set out with invitation cards for the project from the Jagannath temple.
While 13 teams will invite major religious institutions located in the state as well as persons of eminence, another 17 teams will travel across the country. Each of these 17 teams comprising members from the temple managing body and Chhatisha Nijoga will be headed by a senior government official designated as the nodal officer to look after the invitation process. A team will also visit Nepal to invite the King who is ceremonially connected with the Shri Jagannath temple.
After receiving the card, Naveen expressed his gratitude and offered ‘Gua-Chaula’ to Lord Jagannath as a mark of acceptance of the invitation. “The Parikrama project is the work of servitors and the people of Puri and all necessary support from the state government for the sacred work will be extended,” he said.
The servitors thanked the chief minister for the project and development measures undertaken for the development of Puri town.
5T and Nabin Odisha chairman VK Pandian said the Parikrama project has become a reality due to the sacrifice of the people of Puri and they will always be remembered for that. He narrated his personal experience of difficulties encountered during the work of the project which eventually were overcome with the blessings of Lord Jagannath. Now, the work is progressing smoothly, he added.
The chief minister honoured all the sevayats with an ‘uttariya’. The heritage corridor project has been initiated to ensure smooth darshan for devotees along with the security of the temple and creating a divine experience for pilgrims.