Puri,November 14(Odisha.in) A number of shrines of Lord Jagannath in Orissa, languishing after surviving the onslaught of medieval Muslim invaders, are poised to get a facelift.
The Puri Jagannath temple administration, as a part of its plan to preserve and enlarge the sphere of Jagannath cult and its heritage, has embarked upon the project, deputy administrator of the temple Bhaskar Mishra said.
As many as 35 Jagannath shrines including a 400-year-old temple in Kendrapara district’s Indupur village are being covered under the plan to propagate the cult, he said.
The temples being taken up for maintenance owed historical linkage to Lord Jagannath at Puri.
Moreover, these places of worship withstood the marauding 16th century Muslim invaders, he added.
“Some of these temples had turned protectors as the idols of Lords in Puri temple were relocated to these places for safety,” Bhaskar said adding a team of researchers have identified seven Jagannath temples across Khurda, Cuttack, Puri and Bolangir districts where Puri deities were safely ensconced during the invasion.
Stone cut in scri ptions and palm-leaf scri pts retrieved from these places bear testimony to these facts, he said adding there are other temples like the one at Indupur where the stone citadel of Puri deities was relocated.
The aim is to interlink the rest of ‘Jagannath Peethas’ with Puri, while plan is a foot to maintain uniformity in puja rituals and religious practices adhered to in the Jagannath temples, he said.
Odisha.in