Jagannath Temple hall venture: Why is the ‘Baahubali’ Sevayat from viral photograph protesting towards the Odisha govt

Anil Gochhikar, the favored bodybuilder from Odisha whose photograph throughout Rathayatra had gone viral some years again has been sitting in a ‘Dharna’ towards the Odisha authorities since January first week. Gocchikar claims that his household had dwellings and land near the Puri Jagannath temple that had been demolished by the Odisha authorities “illegally’.
Gocchikar’s pictures sitting on a protest are going viral on social media.
Gochhikar’s photograph viral on social media What is Gochhikar’s criticism?
Anil Gochhikar, who’s a profitable and widespread bodybuilder and has gained many worldwide accolades in bodybuilding, belongs to a household of Sevayats of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri. Gochhikar says that their household had buildings very near the Shri Jagannath Temple which had been demolished by the federal government regardless of an ongoing authorized course of. He says that the household has been supplied a compensation quantity and a suggestion for an alternate web site in trade for the plot. But Gochhikar believes the compensation cash will not be sufficient and the alternate plot supplied by the Odisha authorities is “too far away” from the Jagannath Temple.

In a Facebook publish, Gochhikar claimed that 4 of his buildings have been demolished by the Puri administration with out prior order by the High Court. He stated that he has trimmed his hair and beard in protest and can proceed his dharna on a roadside until he gest ‘justice’.
Gochhikar says that since their household had filed a courtroom case towards the federal government demanding enough compensation and a “better” plot that’s near the Temple, the Odisha authorities shouldn’t have demolished his buildings that had been close to the temple and will have waited until the courtroom case by their household had reached to a conclusion.

Speaking to Odia media portal Odisha Bhaskar on January 5, he had admitted that a number of households who had been staying in buildings near the temple (most plots not legally owned however simply occupied over generations), had vacated the buildings willingly and have accepted the compensation given by the federal government. He additional says that some households had been sad with the sum of money and the alternate plot they had been getting however haven’t voiced protest for the worry of the federal government. He additional asserts that his household doesn’t just like the compensation cash supplied and the alternate web site supplied to them. So they are going to protest until the Odisha authorities heeds their calls for and offers them an quantity they think about applicable and offers them a plot ‘close’ to the temple.
Gochhikar additionally claims that his brother is being threatened by police and his household is being harassed. He additionally criticised the hall venture, saying that the Odisha authorities is popping the Temple right into a ‘park’ for amusement.
Odisha authorities’s Jagannath Temple Parikrama venture
The Odisha authorities below CM Naveen Pattnaik has been targeted on eradicating unlawful encroachments from across the Jagannath Temple and relocating the adjoining mathas and different spiritual buildings to different locations, in order to widen the Temple hall for the grand Ratha Yatra and facilitate the hundreds of thousands of devotees the Temple sees yearly.
On 24 November this 12 months, the Gajapati Maharaj of Puri had carried out the Shilanyas of the Heritage Corridor venture across the Jagannath Temple. Named in Odia as ‘Parikrama Prakalpa’ the grand heritage hall venture envisions preservation of the Twelfth-century temple and its grand wall, referred to as Meghanada Pacheri’ and develop the encircling areas for beautification, security and luxury of pilgrims and amenities of the hundreds of thousands of devotees who go to the well-known temple yearly.
Some glimpses of Shila sthapana after the Shila Bije ritual.#JaiJagannatha#Shilanyas#ShreeMandiraParikrama pic.twitter.com/xWx9XQdsVl— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) November 24, 2021
CM Naveen Pattnaik has said that he’ll rework the Temple city of Puri right into a world-class heritage metropolis. Previously, the areas surrounding the Jagannath Temple had been cramped with outlets, stalls, homes and dharmashalas, most of them encroached over time. The cramped space posed a security concern not just for the devotees through the crowded occasions of Ratha Yatra and Bahuda Yatra, however it was additionally endangering the Twelfth-century Meghanada wall, that surrounds the traditional temple.
Odisha govt needed all structres inside 75 metres of the Meghanada wall eliminated
In August 2019, the Odisha authorities had introduced that every one buildings round a 75-metre radius of the Jagannath Temple’s Meghanada wall will likely be eliminated to make sure the protection and integrity of the Twelfth-century shrine. The buildings recognized below the clearing plan had been shoe stands, authorities amenities like electrical energy provide buildings, data centres, police outposts and outlets and stalls that had come up over time.
The resolution was taken to implement the primary part of the suggestions made by the justice BP Das Commission.
The Odisha authorities had said that the unlawful encroachments and buildings constructed across the Meghanada wall additionally pose a serious safety menace for the temple and visiting pilgrims. “We want this area cleared of all buildings, many of which are illegal, to facilitate strict vigil and prevent a terror attack. Since there are many structures adjacent to the main temple, it would have been very easy for terrorists to launch an attack on the temple,” the then collector of Puri had said to the media.
Mesmerising! This is the Draft Architectural Plan of Shree Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor, unveiled by Hon’ble CM @Naveen_Odisha .#Puri #Odisha pic.twitter.com/D7PLFwkwpR— Sujeet Kumar 🇮🇳 (@SujeetKOfficial) December 30, 2019
Supreme Court appointed amicus curie supported the Odisha govt’s demolition drive
Multiple PILs had been filed within the Supreme Court after the Naveen authorities’s demolition drive created outrage amongst many stakeholders. Several spiritual heads of the Mathas had additionally written to the SC. The Supreme Court had then appointed Ranjit Kumar as amicus curie and had despatched him to examine the demolition work. Ranjit Kumar had arrived with SG Tushar Mehta in Puri and had held conferences with heads of the Mathas, authorities officers and temple administration officers.
Report in TNIEAfter conferences and inspections, the amicus curie had submitted his report back to the SC, stating that there is no such thing as a forcible evacuation occurring and the Odisha authorities ought to proceed the demolition work, and asserted that the heritage hall venture is important and justified. After the report, the SC had allowed the government of Odisha to proceed the demolition drive.
The Odisha authorities can also be endeavor comparable growth work across the well-known Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar below the Ekamra Kshetra venture.
A variety of controversies have surrounded the Shri Jagannath Temple Parikrama Project because the Naveen Pattnaik authorities began the redevelopment work. While there are considerations concerning compensations to households affected by the venture, it’s also a reality that the areas across the temple had been below large encroachments, mismanagement, placing the temple and devotees in danger.