Greetings on Lord Jagannath on website

Puri, Nov 8 (UNI) Devotees across the world could now send greetings with the images of the lord Jagannath and religious parodies, using the temple web site, developed by the Orissa Tourism department.

Jagannath Temple Chief Administrator Sureash Chandra Mohapatra told newspersons here that the web site had been dynamically developed having a four hour video of the rath yatra besides the options to send online donations to the lord.

He said the temple had decided to develop remote places mentioned in the Madala panjee (temple chronicle), where the deities were kept in hiding and worshipped in secret during Muslim attack.

Priests of Kotesamalai, Sonepur, Marada of Athgarh, Khalikote Jagannath temple, Sricharan Chakadev temple of Banapur, Hariswar Mandop of Nairee, Gurubai and chakanasi of Chilika lake were invited to a conference to be held on November 14 next in this regard, he added.

Mr Mohapatra said Rs 100 crore would be spent for a modern pilgrim bus terminal over 42 acre of land near Samagara-Gopalpur villages adjacent to the proposed Vedanta city.

He said initial work over the project had already started to make it operational within six months with an estimated cost of Rs two crore. A temporary pilgrim shelter for five hundred would also be developed near the bus terminal, Mr Mohapatra said.

The temple authorities, he said, would resume second phase reconstruction work of the temple kitchen and Ananda Bazaar (the mahaprasad selling and dinning place in the temple complex) after the Kartik brata.

The temple Chief Administrator said keeping in view of the last year's stampede during the Kartik brata which claimed four lives, this year massive police arrangements had been made for smooth conduct of the rituals.

UNI