Bhubaneswar: Odia society in London will soon construct a grand Jagannath temple in the capital city of UK. Plans for the project have been chalked out by Jagannath Temple Trust in London.
The Trustees of proposed Jagannath temple expressed their desire to see successful completion of the project and promised all help for establishment of a Jagannath Dham in London at the earliest.
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It has been a long-cherished dream of UK based Odias to spread Jagannath Culture in their adopted land and to establish a dedicated Jagannath temple. UK already has temples of the deities at some other places. However, the absence of a dedicated temple of Lord Jagannath has been acutely felt by the Odia community here.
Odia community has an established presence in the UK for over half a century, with numbers rapidly expanding year-on-year. This dream of UK-based Odias will now be realised by Jagannath Temple Trust.
However, the Trust aims to complete the construction of a majestic Jagannath temple in Greater London region by 2024. It is currently finalising appropriate site in the region for proposed temple.
The Trustees disclosed that, their vision has been guided and endorsed by several eminent religious saints and scholars immersed in the service of Lord Jagannath and have been assured of all support by the Gajapati Maharaja Shri Dibya Singha Deb of Puri.
Vision behind proposed Jagannath Temple Trust is to promote universal humanistic Jagannath Culture and encourage religious harmony between various communities in UK. It will enhance spiritual and cultural activities to reflect the unifying composite spirit of Sanatan Dharma and its eternal principle of Basudhaiva Kutumbakam.
The Trust reiterated that, proposed Jagannath temple will become epicenter of Jagannath Culture in UK and Europe as well. It will be an easily accessible and prominent landmark in London that will attract thousands of devotees and tourists from across the world.
Proposed temple will be a hub for propagation of Hindu as well as Vaishnavite philosophy. It will also carry out educational, social, cultural and philanthropic activities associated with Lord Jagannath and the hallowed land of Odisha, some Trustees expressed.
PNN