Bhubaneswar: Eminent sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra’s dream of building a second Konark temple in the state has received a push with his nomination as Rajya Sabha member by the President Saturday.
Renowned Odissi danseuse Sonal Mansingh was also nominated to Rajya Sabha along with Mohapatra. Talking to media persons here Sunday, Mohapatra said that his dream of a second sun temple now seems to be achievable.
“I am optimistic that the Centre and state would support me in fulfilling my dream,” Mohapatra said after offering prayers at Lingaraj temple here.
Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who accompanied Mohapatra to the temple, supported Mohapatra’s move.
“Not only Odisha, but the entire country would support him,” Pradhan said.
“The people of Odisha have expressed their gratitude to the President and the Prime Minister for nominating the two luminaries of the State to the Rajya Sabha. By nominating these two eminent personalities, the President has expressed his immense love for Odisha,” he added.
The renowned stone sculptor would take the pride of Odisha to new heights, Pradhan said, adding Mohapatra will fight to uphold and develop the pristine culture and heritage of the state. “Construction of the second Konark Temple is my dream. I want to revive the art work, which has been billed as impossible by many. I wish to build the second Sun Temple and present it to the country,”said Mohapatra.
Mohapatra is famous for his contribution towards preservation of traditional sculptures and ancient monuments. He has also worked on the beautification of the Sri Jagannath Temple, Puri. He was earlier awarded Padma Shri in 1975 and Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 2001 and 2013, respectively.
Mohapatra for many years is trying and battling alone for construction of the second Sun Temple.
As per sources, the project will be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 600 crore. To be built in an area of 100 acres alongside the Puri-Bhubaneswar national highway, the temple will be named as Aditya Nararayan Mandir. Mohapatra had earlier said that he was negotiating with local people for purchase of the required land. To a query about the fund required for the project, the sculptor replied, “I have support of the people of Odisha and culture lovers of other states. I don’t think fund will be a constraint.”
The project will be completed within a stipulated period of eight years. The main temple housing Sun God will have other structures like Ambika temple, Ganesh temple, Shiv temple and Narayan temple around it.
The stones for the temple will be sourced from Lalitgiri, Udaygiri and Ratnagiri in Jajpur district and some parts of Khurda district, the sculptor said.
At Konark, the visitors now see only a portion of the Sun Temple that was built in the 13th century by Ganga King Narasingha Dev I. The main structure has been destroyed due to some unspecified reasons. Though there are no historical evidence about the cause of the collapse of the main temple, some researchers claim that it might have been razed to the ground by “invaders” in the 15th century.
Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the country, Konark stands testimony to Utkaliya architectural stone art.
Recently, on Utkal Divas April 1 an aesthetically designed interpretation centre with world-class facilities that showcases the unique architectural features of Kalingan era was inaugurated at the Konark Sun Temple where the state-of-the-art tourist facilitation centre having an auditorium with digital audio and visual systems was dedicated to the nation.
Meanwhile, BJD said it has always been supportive of Odisha’s language, art and culture and to any plans that intend to take them forward, said Sasmit Patra, BJD spokesperson adding that Pradhan should refrain from playing politics on Konark temple.
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