Guest guest Posted July 11, 2003 Report Share Posted July 11, 2003 http://headlines.sify.com/2547news3.html?headline=Jagannath~temple~land~usurped,~lords~go~hungry~ By Bibhuti Mishra 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.