Puri: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today performed the shilanyas ceremony for Shree Mandir Parikrama by symbolically laying a stone at the site before construction begins. As scheduled CM arrived at Puri at about 9 AM and reached Yajna site near the Sheemandir riding an EV vehicle from Simhadwar.
Gajapati king of Puri, Dibyasingh Dev performed the ongoing three day yajna Yajna as Karta and after that Chief Minister conducted Silanyas of the Parikrama. The Parikrama will have a mega reception hall for six thousand devotees, a large cloak room, toilets for women and men at all four gates, first aid centres and police aid posts besides provision for drinking water. Four security watch towers will be erected at four sides of Parikrama. The devotees were allowed to use the lions gate for entry into Shreemandir.
On the occasion the Chief Minister felicitated 131 persons and 15 Mahantas who had given up their land for creation of 75 metre heritage parikrama corridor around the Meghanad prachir of Srimandir.
He also unveiled a model of the Parikrama project and left the place after offering prayers to Patitapaban at the Lions gate. The construction contract of the Rs.331.28 crore Parikrama project has been awarded to TATA Projects which would be completed within 18 months.
Security was so tight that even media persons were kept at a considerable distance from the yajna site and the IPR department provided live telecast feed from a centrally located centre. About 25 platoons of police force were deployed in and around the temple and along the route.
Chief secretary S. C. Mahapatra, Sri Jagannath temple chief administrator Dr. Krishan Kumar, 5T secretary V. K. Pandian, Puri collector Samarth Verma and K. Vishal Singh the superintendent of police were present.
