Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya Jagadguru Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Sundaydemanded that the Archaeological Survey of India publish a whitepaper on the status of Jagamohan, the prayer hall facing the sanctum sanctorum of the Shree Jagannath Temple of Puri, soon.
Speaking at a book release programme here, the Shankaracharya said that the religious traditions and practices of the Shreemandir should not be tampered with, and there should be transparency in the temple affairs. He alleged that some people have turned the temple into a business enterprise. The seer too expressed anguish that he was not consulted with during the last Nabakalebar of lord Jagannath. The present State Government is sidelining him in the temple affairs, he said.
Meanwhile, the Utkal Sammilani demanded that the State Government take seriously the discontentment expressed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb regarding development of the Shreemandir and the Grand Road and undertake developmental steps.
“Both the Union and State Governments had made projects for development of the Shreekshetra Dhaam. The State Government had accorded Cabinet status to the local MlA to ensure that the schemes are implemented properly. Despite all this, negligence in development of the temple is highly deplorable. The Utkal Sammilani stands by the Gajapati Maharaja and demands that Government take adequate steps for an overall development the Shreekshetra Dhaam,” demanded Sammilani’s Mancheswar Industrial Estate Branch president Dillip Dashsharma.
He too demanded a probe into the allegations of neglect in implementation of the schemes announced during Nabakalebar.