For Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who steps into history by becoming the first PM to visit the 10th-century lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, the temple administration is on its toes to bring up a spic and span precincts of the shrine for the high-profile pilgrim know for his emphasis on Swachhata (cleanliness).
The premises of this architecture marvel looks spruced up extraordinarily to spring up a neat and tidy ambience. Half a dozen of new big plastic bins with the tagline of ‘Use Me’ are now in place at some vintage locations in the temple.
However, the underbelly of poor development of the temple refuses to hide down when the poorly-designed drain and the complex of untidiness near the public wash space inside the temple, just beside the Singha Dwar (main gate), sums up all though Modi couldn’t have any glimpse at all on the lingering mess as he would be taken to a re-designed wash room just outside the main gate to keep the aesthetic taste alive.
Prick the lingering mess, and the monumental neglect simply explodes at your face. The temple, a unique shrine of lord Shiva in the country, where the sanctum sanctorum houses a big self-manifested (Swayambhu) lingam and which is found a mention in revered Padma Purana as Ekamrak kshetra despite it being not among the 12 Jyotirlingas, is surprisingly yet to receive a single pie from the State Government for better administration and governance of the temple and its endowments unlike the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri.
The reason: The lingaraj Temple is yet to be brought under any temple and endowment Act of the State Government despite a fervent appeal made by the lord lingaraj Temple Trust decades ago. Though an affirmation to bring it under the Temple Act was made in 2012, the real development is yet to surface on ground.
According to lord lingaraj Temple Trust Board Executive Officer Manoranjan Panigrahi, the temple would immensely gain when it is included in the Temple Act. lord lingaraj, he explained, is now living on the small donations and alms of pilgrims. The income of the temple on a average touches hardly Rs 4 lakh a day, and during special festivals like the lord’s annual car festival the income hardly suffices the expenditure.
He added that with such hand-to-mouth existence, the temple administration hardly finds any resources to develop the shrine to its true grandeur or have a major say in the temple affairs, which now are ruled by unruly Sevayats that delays rituals almost every day. No record of rights (Satwalipi) has been formulated for the temple till date, unlike the Jagannath Temple.