Preparations are underway for the Rs 280 crore-Ekamra Prakalpa and a yajna was started today near the Lingaraj Temple with as many as 25 pandits from different parts of the state performing rituals.
The yajna that started today will continue till June 28, coinciding with the Bahuda Yatra of Lord Jagannath and His siblings. On that day, the ‘Purnahuti’ ritual will be performed and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will lay the foundation stone of the project.
While the Lingaraj Temple and the adjacent areas have been decked up for the event, a model has been installed at the Lingaraj Market Complex to inform people about the details of the project.
The project will come up on 80 acres of land at a cost of Rs 280 crore and its deadline is 18 months.
“The Chief Minister is going to lay the foundation stone for the project on June 28 morning. I hope the work of the project will move at a good pace. The foundation stone will be laid in the presence of the servitors of Lingaraj Temple, servitors of all shiva shrines in Bhubaneswar and representatives of all shiva shrines in Odisha,” informed Minister, Ashok Chandra Panda.
Informing about the rituals, Lingaraj temple supervisor, Rajkishore Mohapatra said, “The schedule will be finalized today. ‘Ankura Ropana’ ritual will be observed first and it will be followed by all the other rituals.”