Intellectuals and leaders of various socio-cultural organisations here have joined hands for a Central University in Puri like the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). They also want that the university is named Puri Hindu University.
After a preliminary meeting in Bhubaneswar on December 27 last, a stakeholders’ meeting was held in Puri on January 2 last. Orissa HC advocate Umaballav Mohapatra was unanimously chosen as the leader to co-ordinate the movement.
This was followed by a rally with sankirtan from Singha Dwara to the District Magistrate’s office on January 3. A letter addressed to the Prime Minister and signed by president (or secretary) of various organisations of Puri such as Puri Vikas Parisad, Odisha Juba Chetana Sanghathan, Bodhichakra Puri, Sri Jagannath Sanskruti Jagaran Parishad, Puri Bar Association, Team Barefoot and Sri Jagannath Chetana Pratisthana was hand out t the officer in charge. Other signatories include president of the Odisha Society of the Americas, Editor of Priyapatra (Puri), a spokesperson of Gobardhan Pitha, president and secretary of Shrikshetra Pustaka Mela Committee, and a Srimandira priest.
The letter talked about Puri as a center of knowledge formation, agglomeration and dissemination from its ancient days and mentioned about the records of 752 mathas (monasteries), and many Kotas, Jagas,
Akhadas and ashrams (hermitages) in Puri. The letter talked about Puri’s major contributions in the field of art (dance, music, painting, sculpture making etc.), architecture, literature, science (especially, astronomy), religion and tradition. In particular, it talked about Puri’s ties with the origin of Odissi music, Odissi dance, Kalinga sculpture forms, Kalinga architecture, contribution of Samanta Chandrasekhar to astronomy, the UNESCO world heritage site of Konark, composition of Gita Gobinda by Sri Jayadev, Pancha Sakha and Satyabadi Van Vidyalaya, maritime activities of Manikpatna, Jayee Rajaguru’s role in the freedom struggle and recent books on Vedic knowledge.
The letter prayed to the Prime Minister that the upcoming Central Budget in February 2016 should initiate establishment of the university.