Puri: Jagannath temple authorities Saturday said they would construct a new guest house in Puri for pilgrims, an official statement said.
The proposed guest house will be named ‘Patitapaban Bhakta Niwas’, and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has written to the Works Department principal secretary, requesting the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) to expedite the construction work.
The new guest house will come up on a land behind the Niladri Bhakta Niwas and the SJTA has written to the state government, seeking funds under the ‘Abhada’ scheme for the construction of the proposed new ‘bhakta niwas’, SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said in the statement.
He said the proposal has already got the nod of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) headed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb.
There is also a proposal to build a state-of-the-art conference hall (Kalyan Mandap) and a dispensary at the guest house. The state-owned Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC) will execute the project, it said.
The temple already has four existing guest houses for pilgrims — Niladri, Nilachal, Srigundicha, and Purushottam Bhakta Niwas.