Cyclone Fani batters Puri Srimandir

Puri/Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: After making landfall near Puri on Friday, Cyclone Fani has virtually battered the coastal region of Odisha to its knees causing extensive damages to different sectors including dwelling units, power lines, road infrastructure and telephone lines and mobile connectivity and broadband services.

Puri bore the brunt of the cyclone where the world famous Jagannath Temple witnessed extensive damages. The deity of Lord Jaya  gatekeepers (Dwarapalaka) at the Lion Gateway (Singhadwara) of the Srimandir were damaged due to heavy wind and rainfall during the cyclone. Besides, lion idols on south and west side of temple also suffered damages due to the cyclone.

The Sakhigopal and Baraha temples on the premises of the 12th century shrine were damaged after the iron supports installed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) fell off in the temple fell after collapsing under the impact of strong winds.

Likewise, the age-old Kalpa Bata Bruksha (mythical banyan tree) inside the temple 'Bedha' also suffered damages. The darshan and rituals of the deities were disrupted while the preparation of mahaprasad has been hit on the aftermath of cyclone Fani.

Be it in the famous Grand Road (Bada Danda) or sea beach, cyclone Fani left a trail of destruction in the pilgrim city.

Taking a serious note of the situation, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conducted an aerial visit in the affected areas.

Other parts of Puri district, especially Satapada where the eye of the storm is stated to have made the landfall along with Bramhagiri, Krushnaprasad, Nimapara, Gop and Satyabadi areas witnessed massive destruction by the cyclone.

The residents of the twin city of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack also witnessed the repercussions of cyclone Fani which has been stated as the most devastating cyclone in the last two decades after the Super cyclone.

Cyclone Fani uprooted thousands of trees, electricity, telecommunication lines and drinking water infrastructures in the State capital. Railway stations, signal system and level crossings, airport infrastructure also have been badly damaged in the cyclone.

Moreover, thousands of people were left homeless in different slums of the city. Places of worships, public places and shopkeepers including the makeshift shopkeepers at Unit-2 market building also suffered losses during the cyclone in Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile, the restoration work by the several teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire fighters is going on war footing.