Odishan culture and education experts have demanded early establishment of MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities) at Char Dhams, including Puri.
A seminar on the issue was organised here at BJP State headquarters recently chaired by Independent Director, SAIL and Odishan culture expert Ashok Tripathy. Professor of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, USA Dr Chitta Baral delivered a talk on “Reviving the Knowledge Hubs of Bharat and Odisha” on the occasion. Among others, senior BJP leader Sajjan Sharma and former administrator Sudarshan Nayak graced the brainstorming session.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a plan to initially establish four MERUs at these four locations—Puri, Badrinath, Rameswaram, and Dwarka. It will create a foundation in partnership with the associated temples and the corresponding State Government, said Prof Baral.
Prof Baral said that model public universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs, IIMs, etc., called MERUs, will aim to attain the highest global standards in quality education. With the help of the State and the temple trusts, he said, the Centre should reach out to private philanthropic trusts, including trusts related to companies that have big operations in the State, for aspects such as targeted centers and institutes that will be part of the MERUs, and scholarships for students, Prof Baral said.
Emphasizing the establishment of one MERU at Puri, Tripathy said Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, is a special place in India and has a history of being a center of knowledge. It is one of the four dhams (pilgrimage centers) institutionalised by Adi Shankara and has been a center of knowledge formation, agglomeration and dissemination.
Among the 40.8 lakh ancient Indian manuscripts that have been documented, the second largest are in Odia (after Sanskrit), and a significant portion of both originated in Puri, he noted.
There are records of 752 mutts (monasteries), and many Kotas, Jagas, Akhadas and ashrams (hermitages) in Puri. The place was known as Purusottam Kshetra and its greatness is covered in various Sanskrit works, he said.
