The Sri Jagannath Sanskruti Suraksha Bahini (JSSB) would launch a signature campaign soon to strengthen its claim for a change of the name of Puri to Shree Jagannath Puri, announced Vice-Chancellor of Tirupati Sanskrit University Dr Harekrushna Satpathy at a Press conference here on Tuesday.
JSSB members would get signatures from at least a hundred MlAs and MPs of Odisha for this purpose.
The signatures would be presented to the State Government and all other concerned authorities to change the name of Puri to Shree Jagannth Puri before the Nabakalebar festival of Shree Jagannath in 2015, said JSSB convenor Dr Satpathy.
Elaborating the grounds of his claim, he said that long ago Odias were identified elsewhere in the country with lord Jagannath and they feel proud over it. During the hundreds of years of Muslim and British rule, the name was often pronounced as Pooree, Puree and Purie. In course of time, it was reduced to Puri only. The name is often confused with other places of country with a similar name of Puri, for which Odias feel uncomfortable in many instances.
In a letter to the State Governor, Dr Satpathy has pointed out that the Jagannath cult is unique as it preaches social equality and brotherhood cutting across all castes and religious barriers. Entire Odia culture centres round Shree Jagannath and Jagannath culture. It is high time the name of Puri was changed to Shree Jagannath Puri, Satpathy has stated in his letter, which was released to the media.
JSSB secretary Sabyasachi Rath and its other office-bearers were present.