A garden for Lord Jagannath Plant centre to develop 200 species for Puri temple

A Regional Plant Resource Centre employee attends to a plant at the proposed site for the garden and (below) children play at the entrance to the resource centre. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 24: The Regional Plant Resource Centre here is set to develop a garden of 200 plant species that play a role in the day-to-day rituals of Puri Jagannath temple deities. Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb has agreed to inaugurate the garden.

The garden, to be located inside the botanical garden of the centre, will be situated between the children’s park and the fragrant flower garden. The plant species for this garden have already been identified. Sources said 120 species have been collected so far.

“We will have all the plants needed for the different rituals of the three deities. As there is no scope to see all the plants at one place, the garden will help the visitors to take a look at all plants associated with the Lord and His siblings,” said Pratap Chandra Panda, principal scientist (taxonomy and conservation), Regional Plant Resource Centre.

Established in 1985, the centre has a collection of 321 species of trees, 237 medicinal plants, 59 palms, 27 bamboos, 101 native and exotic orchids and 32 endangered plant varieties.

It has also got an impressive collection of cacti.

The Puri Jagannath temple will celebrate Nabakalebar in July next year when the old idols will be replaced with new ones. The ritual takes place after every 12 to 18 years. The new idols are made with specialised neem timber known as “Daru brahma”. The last Nabakalebar was held in 1996. The festival next year is expected to draw around 30 lakh devotees.

Panda said: “The cult of Jagannath is unique and its association with nature is also a well-known fact. While the timber used to create the idols comes from neem trees (Azadirachta indica), the wood of phasi (Anogeissus acuminata) is mainly used to construct the chariots. There are also plants whose flowers are specifically used for different rituals of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.”

Panda said since July 2000, the forest department had been running the Jagannath Vana Prakalpa to produce timber needed for car festivals. Under the programme, the state government has already included the plantation of asan, arjuna, dharua, gambhari, kadamba, simli, mahalimba and kansa species for meeting the timber requirements during the car festival.

Bhubaneswar-based plantation activist Nrupesh Nayak said: “The assembly of all 200 plant species associated with the Jagannath cult will definitely help the centre to attract more people to the botanical garden.”

“The garden will also inspire people to grow particular plants on their land so that they can also donate them to the Jagannath temple administration as timber availability has become a challenge during the car festival every year,” a senior conservation expert at the centre said.

Regarding the display of information on the plants, he said: “Near each plant, its Odia name, biological or taxonomic name, how it is used for the rituals of the Lord and where it is seen in Odisha will be displayed.”

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Odisha to deploy 10,000 police and security forces during Nabakalebar, Rath Yatra in Puri in 2015

Puri: Odisha Government will deploy 10,000 police and security forces for safe conduct of Nabakalebar ritual, Rath Yatra in Puri in 2015. This was informed by the SP Asish Kumar Singh.

SP Asish Kumar Singh in a Press conference here on Friday elaborated the security and other arrangements being worked out by the police administration during the two events. The administration is expecting 30 to 40 lakh pilgrims to throng Puri to witness it as well as the annual Car Festival of the deities in new bodies.

Apart from police personnel, 14 units of senior police personnel would be formed to conduct the VVIPs and control crowd and traffic, besides emergency services. There would be bomb detection and disposal units, dog squads and intelligence gathering units as well.

As per the arrangement, sea, air and land routes would be kept under tight security. The police would ensure safety of the entire city, pilgrims and temple while armed vessels of the Coast Guard would patrol along the Puri coast.

SP Asish Kumar Singh said that luggage scanners would be installed at the temple main gate where the hand bags of the pilgrims would be scanned and at the south gate through which food grains and rations enter into the temple kitchen.

Besides, 200 more life guards would be added to the existing 100 personnel along the Puri beach from Chakratirth to Swargdwar to prevent drowning in the sea. 14 watch towers would be erected along the beach for surveillance of the pilgrims taking holy dip in the sea.

The entire 10 km road from Maltipatpur bus stand to Puri would be illuminated and 150 CCTV cameras would be installed along the route to Puri. This apart, 32 CCTV cameras would be installed in the Jagannath temple. Two integrated CCTV control rooms would be made operational during the ritual.

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ASI to review renovation works at Jagannath Temple on Nov. 12

Puri: Archaeology Survey of India (ASI), would review the status of the ongoing repair and renovation works at the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri on November 12.

A decision to this effect has been taken at a review meeting of the Central Archaeology department, Odisha Circle, in Bhubaneswar. Superintendent of Archaeology Bhuban Bikram said all repair and renovation works at the Shree Jagannath Temple would be completed by December 31.He said the members of the subcommittee of the department would review the repair work of the temple.

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Puri: Archaeology Survey of India (ASI), would review the status of the ongoing repair and renovation works at the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri on November 12.

A decision to this effect has been taken at a review meeting of the Central Archaeology department, Odisha Circle, in Bhubaneswar. Superintendent of Archaeology Bhuban Bikram said all repair and renovation works at the Shree Jagannath Temple would be completed by December 31.He said the members of the subcommittee of the department would review the repair work of the temple.

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Bikas Mohapatra new administrator of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration

Ahead of Lord Jagannath's Nabakalebara festival next year, Odisha government has appointed Bikash Chandra Mohapatra as the new administrator of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), according to a notification issued by General Administration Department today.

Mohapatra, who is now posted as the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, replaced Aravind Padhee, who is also the secretary of tourism and culture department. Mohapatra is also the RDC, central range, Cuttack. The post of administrator of SJTA would be the additional charge of Mohapatra, the notification said.

Earlier, the state government had appointed Puri MLA and former minister Maheswar Mohanty as the chairman of a committee to monitor and supervise infrastracural development of Puri ahead of Nabakalebara festival.

The state government is expecting above 30 lakh devotees in Puri for the Nabakalebara festival which takes place in a gap of 12 to 18 years. In the festival, the wooden body of the trinity - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath are replaced by new idols.

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Odisha celebrates Kartik Purnima with traditional fervour

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) : Odisha remembered its maritime past  by celebrating Boita Bandana (worship of ships) with traditional fervour. People from different age groups woke up early morning and rushed to different water bodies to sail miniature boats in memory of the glorious past.

Well decorated miniature boats made of banana barks, cork and paper were sailed in water bodies.

As the legend says, sea traders used to sail to distant islands like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Ceylon and other countries to trade. It is a festival to remember the past.

"This is a festival of remembrance of Odisha's glorious maritime past. People used to throng to water bodies, river banks and sea shores to sail miniature boats as a symbolic gesture," said Sarat Kar, a researcher on Oriya culture.

"It is also a festival to worship the ships so that they will sail smoothly to far away lands in the turbulent sea. It is to seek divine blessings so that the journey will remain safe," he added.

Early in the morning a large number of people gathered at water bodies across the state carrying miniature boats. The boats were worshiped and sent off in the gentle waves keeping earthen candles inside in memory of adventurous Oriyas, accompanied by chants.

"We have come here for Boita Bandana Utsav. It is a festival to remember the glorious past of Odisha. We worship the banana bark boats keeping paddy, betel nuts and other things which used to be traded to foreign countries from Odisha's soil in the past," said Subhashree Mishra who had come to Bindusagar pond near the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar.

There was a large crowd in Dhabaleswar Temple of Cuttack and Bindusagar pond in the heart of Bhubaneswar for Boita Bandana. Similar crowds were also seen in Puri and Paradip beach.

 As a symbolic gesture, a well adorned boat and seven Sadhabs (marine traders) were given a send off by the chairman of Paradip Port Authority, in memory of the maritime past.

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Rs 15 crore to meet expenses for Nabakalebara

BHUBANESWAR: Sharp fall in collection of revenue has forced the state government to peg the size of first supplementary budget 2014-15 at almost half the size of that last year.

Official sources said the council of ministers, headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, on Thursday gave its nod to the draft budget of Rs 3,900 crore, including plan outlay worth Rs 1,300 crore.

The first supplementary budget in 2013-14 was Rs 7,144 crore.

Finance minister Pradip Amat would present the supplementary budget on November 20, the first day of the winter session of the assembly, official sources said.

The sources said the government has no plan to unveil any new scheme in the supplementary budget. Additional funds have been allocated to certain ongoing schemes and also for meeting salary and pension needs of employees.

He said the highest of Rs 270 crore is allocated for agriculture and allied sectors while Rs 15 crore has been earmarked to meet expenses for projects for Nabakalebara of Puri Jagannath Temple.

The state government has set a revenue target of Rs 25093.87 crore in the current fiscal year. By September, only 38% of the target was achieved, official sources said. "Although we have fallen short of achieving the target so far, we are hopeful of making up within the next five months," the finance minister said.

In the first half of the financial year, mining revenue dropped by 20 % due to closure of 26 iron ore and manganese mines following May 16 Supreme Court order, the sources said. Around Rs 2,044 crore mining revenue was collected between April and September as against Rs 2,600 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

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Gundicha temple to get facelift ahead of Nabakalebara in Odisha

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has decided to undertake the beautification and conservation of the Gundicha temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri, where it expects an extremely high footfall of devotees during the annual Rath Yatra (Car Festival) next year.

The coming Shree Jagannath Rath Yatra would be a special event since it would see the Nabakalebara (New Form) of the three deities – Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra’s – which comes once every 12-18 years. New idols are made for the deities during Nabakalebara.

The deities stay at the Gundicha temple for seven days during their annual sojourn to the place. Together with Rath Yatra, when the deities start from the Shree Mandir on their journey to Gundicha temple, and the Bahuda Yatra, when the deities return to their abode, the festival lasts a total of nine days.

On SJTA’s invitation, the Technical Consultative Committee on Shree Jagannath Temple Conservation (TCCSJTC) visited the Gundicha Temple on Saturday to have a first-hand account of the current condition of the temple and prepare a  plan for its beautification and conservation based on its study.

The technical committee, led by its chairman Prof. Gopal Chandra Mitra, suggested immediate repair of the walls of the Garbhagriha – sanctum sanctorum of the temple. While advising close examination of the stones affixed to the walls of the Garbhagriha, the Committee asked for removal of the weaker stones to be replaced with new ones. It also advised giving a chemical coat to the walls after cleaning and pinning, sources said.

Chief administrator of SJTA and Tourism & Culture secretary Arabinda Padhee, who accompanied the committee during its visit to the Gundicha temple, informed that requisite repair and beautification of the temple will be completed well before the Nabakalebar festival next year.

Sources said the technical committee studied the condition of the Singhadwara, the road from the entrance of the temple to the inner side of the boundary wall, floor of the inner space, walls of the Bhogamandap and walls of the Garbhagriha during its visit.

The SJTA and the technical committee agreed to widen the road from the entrance of the temple to the inner side of the boundary wall, undertake repair of the walls of Bhogamandap and Garbhagriha and application of chemical coat, to plant grass on empty spaces within the temple premises, to make improvements for discharge of waste water from the temple premises, installation of bright lights within the temple premises and beautification of the temple using modern technology, sources said.

The Committee also decided that plates with information for the devotees will be affixed within the temple and the Lords’ Veshas and rituals will be exhibited through video while a garden will be set up within the temple premises, sources said.

The technical committee chairman Prof Mitra was accompanied by other members of the committee, rituals, development and security administrators of the Shree Jagannath Temple, ADM Puri, executive engineer of the Works department, sevayat representative of the temple management committee and Daitapati sevayat representative Ramachandra Dashmohaptra.

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3 projects to clean Puri before Nabakalebara

BHUBANESWAR: To clean Puri town before Nabakalebara in 2015, the state government has approved three environmental projects worth Rs 30.50 crore.

Official sources said Odisha Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) will fund the three projects - renovation of waste water treatment plant at Bankimuhan, setting up of an effluent treatment plant at Jagannath Temple and solid waste management on the Grand Road.

The existing treatment plant at Bankimuhan is lying in a dilapidated state. As a result, untreated water is discharged into the sea. "We will spend Rs 6.30 crore on renovating the plant. A renovation plan was earlier chalked out in consultation with Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) officers. We will start the work as soon as OWSSB releases funds for it," said a state government officer.

The effluent treatment plant inside Jagannath Temple would be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 3.57 crore. The proposed plant will treat the waste water generated from kitchen. The treated water would be used in the garden, the officer said.

Sources said about 50,000 kilo litre of waste water is discharged from the kitchen every day. It is rich in starch and carbohydrate, and leaves an obnoxious smell. "The government had earlier sought technical assistance from Jamshedpur Utility and Services Company Limited (JUSCO) to set up the treatment plant," said an officer.

The stretch between Bada Danda (Grand Road) and Mausimaa Temple will also be cleared of all solid waste. The government would spend Rs 20 crore for clearing and lifting garbage from the Grand Road.

Puri town generates about 100 tonne of solid waste a day of which 60% lie strewn across the town, according to an OSPCB study.

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Puri residents pay tribute to ancestors during special Diwali prayers

(Odisha), Oct.24 (ANI): On the occasion of Diwali, residents of Puri in Odisha offered tributes and homage to their ancestors.

On Thursday, all roads led to the famed Jagannath Temple, where a sea of humanity observed the ritual of Badabadua Daka holding bunches of burning jute-stems in hand. They invoked their ancestors and prayed for peace and harmony in their families. As per the tradition, the eldest son of each family performs this ritual.

"Like every year, on an auspicious time, last month the souls of fathers came to their descendants' place and again on this auspicious occasion of the souls leave their children's house and start their journey for the heaven. That's why every son shows light to their fathers when they set out for heaven saying that, 'you came in the dark, now, you go with light'. This makes the fathers satisfied," said a priest, Suryanarayan Rath Sharma.

The invocation process began with the chanting of a famous Oriya adage, 'Badabadua ho andhaare aasa, aalua re jaa' (Oh forefathers, come in darkness and go back in the light).

The oldest member of a family, accompanied by other family members, chanted those lines, lighted the bundle of jute-stems and pointed the flames skywards. A thick smoke covered the temple area following the mass gathering and burning of jute-stems by devotees.

The ritual, which started on Thursday afternoon, ended at midnight. A queue system was introduced throughout the day to ensure the smooth flow of devotees into the temple. Buildings and shops were seen lit with colourful lights on the eve of Diwali.

Meanwhile, in the town of Shirdi in Maharashtra, homage was offered to Sai Baba.

According to ancient mythology, Sai Baba lit lamps with water and illuminated the entire town and freed people from their sufferings. (ANI)

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Puri Shankaracharya Must Apologise to Dalits: Pramod Krishnam

GHAZIABAD: Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti president Acharya Pramod Krishnam today condemned Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati for his alleged remarks on entry of Dalits into temples.

"Shankaracharya Nischalanand must tender unconditional apologies to the Dalit samaj for his statement exhorting ban on the entry of Dalits into temples," said Acharya Krishnam, who contested the last Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket.

No religious epic gives the right to any seer to discriminate among the masses and restrict their rights of entry to any temple or religious place on the basis of caste or creed, he added.

Acharya Krishnam, who was here to attend a religious ceremony along with Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav, however, said "I am not in favour of registering an FIR against Shankaracharya Nischalananda".

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has asked Jharkhand police to register an FIR against the Puri Shankaracharya for his reported remarks made on Friday in Ranchi that Dalits should not enter temples.

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Sea of Devotees at Puri on Panchak for Darshan of Lord Jaggnnath

Bhubaneswar: Sea of devotees throng to Puri on Monday for panchak darshan of Lord Jaggnnath siblings Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra on the final Monday of holy month ‘Kartik’.

Three pilgrims fell unconscious and were rushed to hospital in Puri town. In another similar incident in the pilgrim town, a woman from Ganjam district, who was on a visit to Puri, suddenly fell sick near Dakshin Kali temple and died on the way to hospital.

The injured devotees under treatment in the district headquarters hospital were Hemalata Mishra of Gunupur, Sabitri and Rekha Mishra of Banpur, Rabindra Kumar Sahoo of Barmunda, Ritarani Naik of Dumduma and Aruna Acharya of Brahmapur. This apart, another three devotees sustained injuries as the barricade at the entrance gate collapsed. They were being treated in the district headquarters hospital.

SP Asish Kumar Singh said elaborates steps were being taken to conduct the pilgrims in the temple. Several platoons of police personnel were deployed while a police help desk was operated at the Lion’s Gate.

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