The "Parikrama project" of the grand temple of Lord Jagannath located in Puri district of Odisha is going to be inaugurated on 17th January. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate this temple. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's dream project (Parikrama Project) has been prepared under the supervision of VK Pandian, Chairman of the 5T Department of the state government.
The Parikrama project has a total budget of Rs 943 crore. Invitation letters have been sent to all the major temples of India and all the Jagannath temples of Odisha to take part in the celebration. The local BJD government is collecting rice and betel nuts through 22 Jagannath chariots located in different wards of the district. These offerings will be presented to the Lord.
Under the project, a wide circumambulation path is being built around the temple on which devotees can circumambulate the entire temple. A seating area is being constructed to witness the transformation of the sacred flag of the temple. To streamline the darshan arrangements, Shri Setu is being built and such a shed is being built in front of the temple. The entire complex has been beautified by planting lush green trees around the temple.
The state government is promoting this project with the help of 5T Chairman VK Pandian, who has been featured on YouTube by YouTuber Kamiya Jani. However, this has sparked controversy in the state, with the opposition questioning the campaign methods employed by the government.
The state government is accused of politicizing the Parikrama project in Odisha. According to political experts, the grand inauguration of the project is an attempt to overshadow the inauguration of the Ayodha Ram temple in eastern Odisha. The ruling BJD party might benefit from this move in the Lok Sabha. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra received 46.4% of the votes, while BJD's Pinaki Mishra won with 47.4% of the votes.
