Odisha to bring special law for managing 11th century Lingaraj temple

More than six and half a long time after it introduced in a particular Act to handle the affairs of the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri, the Odisha authorities has drafted the same Act to handle the rituals and different actions of the 11th century Lingaraj temple, the largest temple in Bhubaneswar.

The Lingaraj Temple Act, 2020 (a draft of which is with HT) would free the temple in previous Bhubaneswar space from the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowment Act and put the Shiva temple below the management of Lingaraj Temple Managing Committee with a full-time administrator taking care of day-to-day affairs of the shrine. The Jagannath temple was the primary temple in Odisha to have a particular Act made for it in 1955 after being below British management for a very long time.

A regulation division official stated the draft Act can be mentioned on Tuesday earlier than being introduced in as a Bill within the winter session of the Assembly subsequent month.

Under Lingaraj Temple Act, a fund can be created wherein the revenue derived from the movable and immovable properties of the temple can be deposited. Besides, donations and choices by the pilgrims and devotees in Hundies can be deposited in that fund. The temple has round 1500 acre in numerous elements of the state and the land in a lot of the locations are below encroachment.

The transfer to have a particular regulation for Lingaraj temple got here after chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s tour to Puri on Saturday to take inventory of the Rs 3,200 crore package deal for infrastructure improvement of the temple city. Patnaik on Saturday went across the Jagannath temple, which has been shut since March attributable to pandemic, and ordered fast completion of the beautification venture round it.

In January this yr, Patnaik had visited the well-known Maa Samaleswari temple in western Odisha district of Sambalpur to supply his prayers. Prayers over, Patnaik introduced that an skilled workforce will quickly assess the necessities of the temple and the devotees and primarily based on that the state authorities will take additional steps.

The similar month, he visited Baripada city of Mayurbhanj district, asserting a grant of Rs 5 crore for the event of the temple. In December final yr, the Odisha CM had introduced a Rs 5 crore package deal every for the Baladevjew temples of Kendrapara city.

Though some Congress staff on Saturday confirmed him black flag on his means, political analysts say the BJD’s temple strikes are concerted efforts to painting a delicate Hindutva picture.

“BJP is already the party’s main opponent in Odisha and by 2024 it would mount a major challenge to unseat the regional party. As BJP is likely to play the religious card in a deeply religious state like Odisha, the BJD may be trying to deny BJP the same. It’s a very calculated move,” stated political science professor Gyana Ranjan Swain of Ravenshaw University in Cuttack.

Swain stated the transfer to have a particular Act for Lingaraj temple and beautification of Jagannath temple would assist the regional occasion set a separate narrative on faith. “BJD’s mobilisation on temples is an attempt in initiating a separate discourse on religion that would be different from BJP. The party surely does not want to give the BJP any edge on this matter.”

Political analyst Rabi Das stated whereas BJD’s strikes on the temple had been a tactic to cease the BJP’s development in a non secular place like Odisha, it needs to benefit from BJP’s predicament in issues of faith. “While BJP may try to criticise BJD in demolition of some temples around Jagannath temple and Lingaraj temple, the truth is a majority of people in Odisha support the government’s move. The temple beautification drive also helps the state’s tourism as a large part of the domestic tourists come to Odisha for its temples,” stated Das.

However, BJP chief Sajjan Sharma stated having particular Act for Lingaraj temple or beautification of the temples wouldn’t cover the federal government’s failure in temple administration. “The government is yet to account for the properties in Jagannath temple treasury as it is yet to be opened. For the last 9 months, Jagannath temple has been closed while thousands of devotees and priests want it to be opened. Merely beautifying temples would not give BJD any Hindutva appeal,” stated Sharma.

BJD leaders stated the particular Act for Lingaraj temple in addition to beautification of the temples shouldn’t be seen from a non secular angle. “If the government is taking steps for better management as beautification of the exterior of our temples then more and more tourists will come. These temples would be our growth engines,” stated Bijay Nayak of BJD.