Temple land usurped, Dieties go hungry

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Jagannath temple land usurped, lords go hungry

By Bibhuti Mishra

Temple land usurped, Dieties go hungry

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Nearly 100 acres of land belonging to the presiding deities of

Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra have been usurped by encroachers

while the deities are not even offered `prasad' at the Jagannath

temple in Sundargarh.

 

The royal family of the erstwhile Gangpore State (old Sundargarh) had

donated about 100 acres of cultivable land for the maintenance of the

temple and its presiding deities. The temple stands at the gateway to

the Kishore Mahal of the royal household here. The foundation stone

of the temple was laid in 1916.

 

As per the records, the king allocated 99 acres of cultivable land

for maintenance of temple to tenants at Damkuda and Jagannath revenue

villages under tribal-dominated Subdega block on the condition that

they would contribute the lion's share of the land's output to the

deities.

 

They have not only failed to stick to the condition, but they are

also trying to transfer the 'patta' (ownership) of the land in their

name.

 

According to Sadar tehsil sources, the settlement process of 92.93

acres of land at Damkuda village remains incomplete. The annual

income from the Lords' property is estimated to be at least Rs 5

lakh.

 

But the deities reside in a pitiable state within a structure that is

in crying need of repair and whitewash. For the past several years,

the celebration of car festival has become a lacklustre affair owing

to funds crunch. And the deities are even deprived of their

daily 'prasad' offering.