Shankaracharya steps into Srimandir row

Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati has broken his silence on the ongoing row over the Srimandir Heritage Corridor project. Launching a veiled attack on the state government, the sheer on Sunday evening said it has been quite natural of the government to convert a ‘Tapobhumi’ (a place of pilgrimage) into a ‘Bhogbhumi’ (resorts ).

‘In order to avoid any harmful impact on Srimandir, the government should have carried out any construction works after consulting with architects, engineers and experts,” he said.

“After coming here, I came to know that the architects are of the opinion that the ongoing construction activities will definitely have a harmful impact on the temple. If that is true, what is going on is not proper,” he observed.

Expressing his dissatisfaction, he added, "It is also improper if the buildings coming up around the shrine will hide the temple’s beauty," he added.

“However, I wish the ongoing developmental activities going on should have no bad impact on the temple. All the works should be carried out with full devotion towards God,” he said.

Notably, reports of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey being carried out around the Jagannath Temple in a clandestine manner and that too in the deep of the night has raised many eyebrows.

As per sources, some officials of Geocarte Radar Technology Private Limited were spotted conducting the GPR survey on behalf of IIT Gandhinagar from the Kakudikhai temple in the southeast corner of the Temple to the Emar mutt and other nearby spots on late Saturday night.