Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple and the district administration have made elaborate arrangements for Bhumi Pujan and shilanyas for construction of Parikrama around the temple by Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday. State government media advisor Manas Mangaraj told newsmen that the three day yajna at the North corner of the temple are performed by Strotriya Brahmins. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik and the Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb will grace the occasion. The chief minister will perform Bhumi Pujan ritual before the work for parikrama project begins.
Parikrama, a sprawling seven lane separate pathway for devotees and deities to have a green corridor around the Meghanad prachir of Shreemandir. The Parikrama will have a reception hall to accommodate six thousand devotees. It will have a huge clock room (500 sq.metres) for devotees to keep their belongings. Separate toilets complexes
for servitors, men and women devotees will be constructed.
Apart from these ATM counters, pilgrim information counters, police posts to provide security to pilgrims and first-aid centres will operate at all the temple gates.
A miniature model of the Parikrama project will be put on display for devotees. On the occasion land owners and Mahantas who have given their land for the heritage corridor and parikrama project will be felicitated by the chief minister. Mutt buildings and other religious places adjoining Parikrama will be given face lift and developed.
The cost of the project has been estimated at Rs.331.28 crores. The TATA project has been entrusted to execute the project within 18 months, Manas Mangaraj said. Three additional superintendent of police, 10 DSPs, 40 inspectors and 25 platoons of police personnel will be deployed during the visit of the Chief Minister.
