Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday sought Rs 1,397 crore of Central assistance for the Nabakalebar festival of lord Jagannath in 2015.
Patnaik in a letter to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said, "The Temple of lord Jagannath is one of the ancient living temples of India and occupies a special place in the religious and cultural life of Odisha. The most important event in the culture of lord Jagannath is the Nabakalebar ceremony which takes place every 12 to 19 years. It is a ritual followed for centuries and the grandest of all ceremonies associated with the Jagannath Temple when the deities leave their old forms and assume new ones."
"The next Nabakalebar is scheduled in 2015 after a period of 19 years. Odisha is gearing up for this momentous occasion when around 50 lakh pilgrims, visitors and tourists are expected to congregate at Puri town in a three-month period during which a number of religious activities are organised simultaneously all over Puri at different locations."
Patnaik added, "Temporary townships and other accommodations and shelters shall be put up in substantial numbers. It is imperative that law and order, traffic and crowd management are geared up for the occasion. The projected requirement of funds for developmental works to be taken up in view of Nabakalebar-2015 is around Rs 1,397 crore, for which a proposal seeking special Central assistance is enclosed herewith."