Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing committee Monday approved a draft proposal for the Shree Jagannath Heritage Corridor (SJHC) during a meeting held at Niladri Bhakta Niwas in Puri.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb. The work on the project will begin from June 1, 2021.
The 75-metre corridor will cost Odisha government around Rs 800 crore. The various components of the project include heritage corridor components, Shree Jagannath Reception Centre (SJRC), amenities and mutts.
The heritage corridor is divided into nine layers like a green buffer surrounding the temple complex, the Antar Pradakshina path, Bahya Pradakshina path, a landscape zone, public convenience zone, service lane, shuttle cum emergency lane, mixed traffic lane and pedestrian footpath.
More than half-acre of land is available next to SJHC on the South-East side. On it, a Jagannath Reception Centre will come up. The centre will have essential facilities such as a queue management system with capacity of 6,000 persons, along with security checking, baggage screening, main cloakroom for keeping belongings of up to four thousand families, drinking water and toilets for washing hands and feet, souvenir stores and book shops among others.
The proposal for development of the existing mutt temples within 75 metres of SJHC has also been approved. All such temples will be developed keeping the Kalinga style of architecture and the mutt tradition in mind, it was learnt.
The main aim of the project is to give a special and serene environment to the devotees and visitors. The unobstructed corridors around the Meghanada Pacheri will give visitors an opportunity to have a visual connect with the temple, Neelachakra and Meghanada wall.
PNN