After Jagannath shrine, Naveen Patnaik ready with another, Rs 200 crore temple showcase

Barely a week after it strategically timed the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple Parikrama project in Puri with the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government is rolling out the second phase of its temple gambit, this time in the BJP’s western Odisha stronghold.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Patnaik will inaugurate the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) project at Sambalpur. Samaleswari or Samalei is known to be the presiding deity of the western region of the state. At the temple, situated on the banks of the Mahanadi river, the Goddess has been worshipped as ‘adishakti’ for centuries.

Considering the sentiments attached to it, Patnaik had not only announced a Rs 200-crore upgradation plan for the temple months after unveiling the Jagannath scheme, but also ensured its completion on time.

Like with the Rs 800-crore Puri project, which was dedicated to people on January 17, Patnaik has sent his trusted bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian to visit Sambalpur multiple times to oversee its implementation.

Saturday’s inauguration ceremony has been planned with the similar fanfare and enthusiasm as the Puri event, with many BJD leaders likely to throng Sambalpur.

Besides, schools and colleges across Odisha have been told to remain closed on Saturday for the inauguration. All government offices will be anyway shut as it’s the fourth Saturday of the month.

“Religious rituals leading to the inaugural ceremony will start from Friday. A yajna will start before the inaugural event. The redevelopment of the temple and better amenities for devotees will attract more pilgrims to the shrine,” Sambalpur Collector Ananya Das told The Indian Express.