Puri: Bustling with devotees who came for paying Paya Shraddha on the occasion of Dipawali, Puri Badadanda today looks so religious and blessed that it seems Lord Jagannath himself has appeared to grace the mankind. Today, there is nobody between the common man and the Lord of the Universe.
The significance of this year’s festivities is the total transformation of the Singhadwara and Badadanda.
The transformation process being undertaken in the holy city of Puri is bearing fruits and that can be clearly visible in today’s magnificent presence of thousands of people who came to pay homage to their forefathers at the Badadanda.
Today, the place can accommodate lakhs of people who congregate on the holy occasion. The vast open space created for better movement of people and easy management of crowd in front of Singhadwara has made everybody happy. The recent efforts to clear the dilapidated and encroached areas around the Temple have totally converted the area into a beautiful surrounding with ample space for the pilgrims to pray the deities.
The mission to transform the Badadanda and the peripheral areas of Srimandir as part of the bigger plans to transform the holy city of Puri into a World Heritage City has bore fruits. It seems that the pilgrims have the first right over Lord Jagannath and there is no one to deter their affection towards the Lord. Chants of Jay Jagannath and the joyous festivities of Diwali were seen from morning into the day.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s endeavor to make Puri one of the best holy cities of the world is in the making and it has already proved that the transformation has already started. Naveen himself is monitoring the development of the Puri temple and has entrusted senior officers for this. Along with this, the active involvement of V K Pandian, Secretary 5-T Initiatives, has made it possible that the transformation is on the right track and on time. Visiting Puri every few days to monitor the progress of the development process, he has made it a point to make it happen as early as possible.
The district authorities also have also played a big role in ensuring the common man gets all the services and the pilgrims visit the temple with a happy heart without any hassles. The days are not far when we will see Puri as one of the greatest Heritage Cities of the World.