BHUBANESWAR: Till four years back, the Shri Jagannath temple at Puri - one of the four holy dhams of India - presented a picture of apathy. Concealed behind urban facades with heaps of garbage rotting next to the 12th century temple’s boundary wall Meghanada Pacheri, Srimandir faced security concerns too.
Today, three days before the grand inauguration of the heritage corridor project by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the temple stands as a vision to behold, an unrecognisable avatar of its earlier self. Exuding divinity, the shrine is now centred around an expansive 75-metre parikrama which is not just replete with amenities for devotees but also gives a clear view of the majestic 214.8 ft-high temple, its Neelachakra and provides an opportunity to devotees for circumambulation of the sacred entity, something that could not be thought of till the state government in 2019 decided to give it an epic makeover by implementing the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa (Heritage Corridor Project).
The project is the highlight of the massive Rs 4,224.22 crore Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme being undertaken by the Naveen Patnaik government that seeks to transform Puri into a world heritage city.
The Beginning
The state government had on July 23, 2016 constituted Justice BP Das Commission to examine and submit a report on better administration and governance of the temple. On August 16, 2019, the government accepted recommendations of the commission and decided to widen the roads around the shrine - except the Lions Gate - to 75 metre from Meghanada Pacheri, among many other things. It also decided that the development and infrastructure works including land acquisition would be done by the state government under the ABADHA scheme. The two decisions were taken through a gazette notification on August 27, 2019.
The same year, land acquisition was initiated and a rehabilitation and resettlement package was prepared following consultations with different committees and stakeholders. Work on the parikrama plan began and on February 15, 2021, the final master plan was approved by the Shree Jagannath Temple Management Committee. Five days later, DG(ASI) visited the site and approved the project. On November 24 that year, Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, laid the foundation stone of Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa in presence of the chief minister. Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC) was entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the ambitious project.
Parikrama Project
Taken up at a cost of Rs 800 crore, the project brings an array of nine zones positioned strategically to facilitate entry, exit, and provide essential facilities to devotees. From the seven-metre buffer zone (starting from Meghanada Pacheri), a 10 m Antar (inner) Pradakshina has been set up, which is a pedestrian-only path to be used by devotees for parikrama of the temple.
This is followed by a 14 m garden that includes plants integral to Jagannath culture. It has trees like saptaparni, patali, baula, kadamba, gangasiuli, katha champa, swarna champa and shrubs like katha rangani, swarna ghanti, galphimia yellow carpet, karabira, sugandharaj and kunda malli.
The 8 m outer Pradakshina is also covered by trees on either side providing a tranquil space for visitors. This is followed by a 10-metre public convenience zone, located at a distance of 40 m from the temple’s boundary. So far, the zone has nine restrooms, shelter pavilions, cloakrooms, among other facilities. The amenities cover just five percent of the corridor area.
“The 75 m corridor also includes a 4.5 m service lane which will be reserved for maintenance besides another 4.5 m dedicated shuttle and emergency lane which is a vital zone designed for swift response during emergencies and disaster management,” said managing director of OBCC Jaya Krishna Das. This apart, there is a 7.5 m mixed traffic lane to facilitate vehicle movement around the corridor and 7 m-wide shaded footpath.
SJTA chief Ranjan Das said what makes the project architecturally unique is that khondalite stones, collected from quarries in Narangarh and Gobindhpur, have been primarily used in the components and designed as per Kalingan architecture style, reflecting the local culture. Besides creating the expansive corridor, the project also aims at preserving the cultural heritage of 21 mathas within the 100 m radius.
The OBCC MD said the Parikrama project has facilitated devotees to look at the Patitapaban Bana clearly from all sides and make a spiritual parikrama all around without vehicular conflict and amidst green ambiance. “Work is underway on the other components of the project which includes a pilgrim reception center, the Raghunandan library, a police control room and command and control centre,” he informed.