President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted a proposal to change the name of the holy city of Puri to “Jagannath Puri”.
A letter from the Rashtrapati Bhavan has asked the Odisha Government to take necessary steps in this regard, official sources said.
It may be recalled that several organisations had demanded the renaming of Puri after lord Jagannath ahead of the Nabakalebara festivities next year.
The Pipili-based India Media Centre and Diksha Mission had submitted a memorandum to this effect to the President, Prime Minister, State Governor and Chief Minister and also urged all political parties, social organisations and intellectuals of Odisha to place this demand before the Centre.
Several leading citizens of Odisha had also written letters to the President requesting him to sincerely consideration the proposal.
On receipt of the memorandum, the President’s Secretariat had referred it to the Union Pension and Grievances Department, which after its consideration sent the President’s letter to the State Culture Department.
Sri Akhand and Tapan Kumar Das on behalf of the Diksha Mission have expressed their hope that the State Government would take necessary steps in this regard.