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India Gazette
5 days ago
- General
- India Gazette
Odisha: Jagannath temple's Ratna Bhandar work completed: Official
Puri (Odisha) [India], July 8 (ANI): The Archaeological Survey of India has completed the repair work of Jagannath temple's Ratna Bhandar (treasury) and the inventory-related work will begin after the valuables are shifted to the Ratna Bhandar, according to the temple's Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee. Arabinda Kumar Padhee also told ANI that a high-level committee headed by Justice Biswanath Rath will assist the Jagannath temple managing committee in the inventory-related work of all the valuables. 'I am proud and privileged to announce the completion of the conservation and repair of both the inner and outer Ratna Bhandar. Now, as per the standard operating procedure approved by the government. Now, the valuables will be transferred from the temporary strongrooms to the original ones, and afterwards, the inventory work will begin. The government has already appointed a high-level committee headed by Justice Biswanath Rath. They will assist the Jagannath temple managing committee in inventorisation of all the valuables,' Arabinda Kumar Padhee said. According to the temple's chief administration, the Ratna Bhandar was opened after a gap of four and a half decades. He added that the valuables were moved to the temporary strongrooms, following which ASI started the repair work. 'The Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Puri Temple was reopened on July 14, 2024, after a 4.5-decade gap. Thereafter, the valuables and jewellery were shifted from the Inner Ratna Bhandar and Outer Ratna Bhandar to the temporary strongrooms. Thereafter, the Archaeological Survey of India conducted a laser scanning and penetrating survey... Following this, conservation and repair works commenced on December 17, 2024, and were carried out in two phases,' Arabinda Kumar Padhee. The restoration work was carried out in two phases by ASI, with the first phase lasting from December 17, 2024, to April 28, 2025 and the second phase from June 28, 2025, to July 7, 2025. 'The first phase lasted from December 17, 2024, to April 28, 2025. The second phase began on June 28, 2025, and continued until July 7, 2025... Over 95 days, ASI experts and artisans carried out 332 hours and 47 minutes of conservation work,' he said. (ANI)
Time of India
27-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Lessons learnt, ‘Pahandi' takes place smoothly
1 2 3 Puri: There was relief all round as 'Pahandi', a key ceremonial procession involving the transfer of idols from the shrine to the chariots, passed off smoothly. Officials were particularly concerned due to last year's incident, when Lord Balabhadra's idol slipped from servitors' grasp and fell on the 'Charamala', a slanting walkway made of palm logs, while being transferred from the Taladhwaja chariot to Gundicha Temple, two days after Rath Yatra. "Following revised standard operating procedures, dedicated Pahandi groups comprising skilled servitors were established. The Charamala's structure was enhanced with increased width, allowing servitors to safely transport the substantially heavy wooden idols onto the chariots," said Arabinda Kumar Padhee, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration. Despite concerns about the 'Charamala' becoming slippery due to the light rain, the servitors completed 'Pahandi' without facing any hurdle. "We will ensure that the Pahandi is performed in the same disciplined manner when the deities are escorted to Gundicha Temple from the chariots," Padhee said. Learning from last year, the administration had recently announced that only authorised servitors would be permitted to perform 'Pahandi' and board the chariots. "The implementation failed (last year) as servitors exceeded prescribed numbers during Pahandi. The chariots were overcrowded. The temple administration failed to evict unauthorised servitors from chariots," said Binayak Mishra, a local devotee. Puri district collector and temple's deputy chief administrator, Siddharth Shankar Swain, said, "All rituals including Pahandi were performed smoothly. After the festival, we will check CCTV footage to see if any ineligible person had boarded the chariot."
Time of India
23-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
SJTA moves Puri admn to protect Saradha Bali
1 2 Bhubaneswar: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has requested the Puri district administration to preserve Saradha Bali, the consecrated sandy open space in front of Gundicha Temple, the birthplace of the deities of Jagannath Temple. The SJTA has expressed concerns regarding the use of this sacred space, which holds profound connections to Jagannath culture and Rath Yatra, for various government and private functions throughout the year. The shrine body's chief administrator, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, has addressed a formal letter to Puri municipality, advocating for the appropriate protection of this hallowed location, which holds substantial importance during the annual Rath Yatra. "In light of its cultural and religious importance, I have requested that the district administration ensures that Saradha Bali is not utilized for any other purpose that may detract from its sanctity and association with Shree Jagannatha Temple," Padhee said. Padhee emphasised that Saradha Bali requires conservation and improvement in accordance with the Jagannath temple's cultural legacy and customs. "This important place should be reserved exclusively for purposes ancillary to Shree Jagannatha culture, ensuring that the sacredness and cultural significance of Saradha Bali are maintained for the benefit of devotees," Padhee said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Investire è più facile che mai BG SAXO Scopri di più Undo Saradha Bali serves as a crucial element in the Rath Yatra, designating the location where the chariots halt before the deities proceed to Gundicha Temple. Mythological accounts suggest that a river named Malini previously flowed between the Jagannath Temple and Gundicha Temple. The riverbed was subsequently filled with sand to facilitate the chariot procession during Rath Yatra. "It is believed that the site derives its name from queen Saradha Devi, who reportedly filled the riverbed with sand (bali) following divine instructions received from Lord Jagannath in her dreams. The location becomes a focal point during Rath Yatra, where countless devotees assemble to observe the deities' arrival at Gundicha Temple," said culture enthusiast Prasanna Rath. Devotees consider Saradha Bali highly sacred, with many devotional songs dedicated to it. They often collect a small amount of sand from this holy site as a blessing from Lord Jagannath.
Hans India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Traditional crop culture scheme unveiled
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has introduced a scheme to revive the traditional crop and food culture of the State and will focus on the conservation and marketing of such agricultural produce, officials said. The programme will be implemented in 25 blocks across 15 districts in the State and is expected to directly benefit approximately 60,000 farmers. This will cover areas near biodiversity hotspots and ecologically sensitive regions for a period of five years from 2025-26. Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment department launched the scheme - Revival and Sustainable Intensification of Forgotten Food & Neglected Crops in Odisha - on Wednesday. The initiative will also help generate additional financial support for the cultivators, especially those belonging to the tribal community. The scheme has been developed under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and has been formally approved by the government. The expected outcomes of the scheme include 'documenting numerous landraces and recipes, increasing their availability, conducting nutritional profiling, developing an open digital knowledge platform and positioning Odisha as a global model for reviving forgotten food & neglected crops', said Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment department.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Totally unacceptable': Odisha govt asks Puri Jagannath authorities to probe Digha temple row
The Odisha government Friday asked authorities at the Puri Jagannath Temple to look into the controversies stemming from the recent inauguration of a replica of the 12th-century shrine in neighbouring West Bengal's Digha. In a letter to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration's chief administrator, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan called for an 'internal inquiry' into 'naming the newly built Digha temple as Jagannath Dham, participation of servitors from Puri in the consecration ceremony of the new temple, and using the surplus sacred neem wood of Nabakalebara rituals to craft the idols for the new shrine.' Calling these 'totally unacceptable', he said that 'conflicting information over Jagannath culture' had hurt the sentiments of devotees and 4.5 crore Odia people. He asked the Puri temple administration to consider initiating action. The West Bengal government inaugurated the Jagannath temple at Digha on April 30. Servitors and devotees in Odisha have questioned the temple being named a 'dham', saying the title belongs to the original shrine at Puri. They have also questioned the participation of servitors from Puri temple in the Digha temple's inauguration ceremony. Senior Puri Jagannath temple servitor Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, among those who have faced criticism for participating in the Digha temple's inauguration, said he attended the ceremony on the request of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Servitors have also questioned whether stone idols of the sibling deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were being worshipped at the temple. Tradition dictates that the idols of these three deities must be made of neem wood. Dasmohapatra said the stone idols had been in place at the new shrine for the past three months and were not being worshipped. 'The idols were made from neem wood under my supervision at Puri. I then took the idols to Digha for the inaugural ceremony,' said the senior servitor. In the scriptures, Lord Jagannath is referred as Daru Brahma, with Daru referring to wood and Brahma meaning supreme power.
