The Odisha government on Monday sought the Archeological Survey of India (ASI)’s support to complete various developmental works undertaken by it around the 75 metres periphery of the 12th Century Shree Jagannath temple in Puri and the 11th Century Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.

Director General of ASI V. Vidyavathi on Monday inspected the various developmental works taken up by the state government at the Jagannath Temple under the Shree Mandira Parikrama Project and the work around the Lingaraj Temple.

Under the Shree Mandira Parikrama Project, steps are being taken for the development of a heritage corridor around the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. Though chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the project in November 2021, the work is yet to pick up pace as the ASI had some reservations on some issues regarding the constructions near the shrine. “Following the state government’s request, DG ASI today inspected the site,” said a senior official.

Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Dr Krishan Kumar told reporters: “We presented the detailed report about the project before the DG ASI including the steps taken to provide basic amenities to the devotees and the facilities being set up for the welfare of the servitors. All the works around the shrine will be done with the help of ASI.”

The heritage corridor project envisages development in a radius of around 75 metres of the shrine. It aims at development of mutts, restructuring of the age-old amenities for devotees, a reception centre and integrated command and control centre for enhancing the security system around the shrine. A lodging system for around 6,000 devotees will also be developed.

The corridor will facilitate unobstructed movement around the Outer wall of the shrine (popularly known as Meghananda Pacherie) and provide an opportunity to devotees to have a visual connection with the temple. Under the plan, a green belt will be developed around the shrine. The Tata Group has been awarded a project worth Rs 331 crore for this and asked to complete the work within 18 months.

The project is a part of the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development Heritage and Architecture (ABHADA) scheme, which aims to promote Puri as a world-class heritage city. In order to acquire enough land for the project, the state government has bought land from 115 temple servitors.

Earlier, the project had been delayed by a year as the National Monument Authority (NMA) banned any kind sort of development within 100-metre area around the shrine by issuing a notification. Following a protest by the state government, the NMA withdrew the notification and issued a no objection certificate. The pandemic had also contributed to the delay in the execution of the project.

The DG, ASI, had also inspected various temples including the Lingaraj Temple in old town, Bhubaneswar. The officials apprised her of the steps taken for the development of the periphery area around the temple. The old town area also has temples dating back to 7th and 5th centuries.