BHUBANESWAR: Sounds of chanting of mantras and Vedic hymns reverberated the air around the Puri Jagannath Temple with a three-day ‘Maha Yajna’ (sacred fire ritual) beginning on Monday as the forerunner of the grand inauguration of Shree Mandira Parikrama Prakalpa (heritage corridor project) on Wednesday.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to dedicate the heritage corridor project to devotees following the culmination of the ritual on Wednesday afternoon.
Brahmin and Vedic scholars are chanting from the Rig Veda at the Singh Dwar (lion gate or the main entrance), Yajur Veda at southern gate, Sama Veda at western gate and Atharva Veda at the northern gate, creating an atmosphere of piety and divinity in Puri.
“I cannot express my devotion in words. The chanting of Vedic hymns and yajna slokas are divine bliss. We got a wonderful darshan amid the religious fervour,” said Mamata Das, a devotee from Hooghly in West Bengal.
To ensure an ambience of spiritualism and devotion in the periphery of the temple, the shrine administration is planning to play recorded music and chanting of sacred hymns every day, sources said.
The Parikrama Prakalpa, executed at a cost of Rs 800 crore in a 75-metre radius of the shrine, offers several amenities to devotees. An expansive walking corridor with greenery and landscaping, providing a clear and unobstructed view of the majestic 214-ft high (65 metres) shrine and the ‘Neela Chakra’ (blue wheel) on its pinnacle.
While the state government announced a public holiday on Wednesday to enable people to participate in the inauguration and seek blessings of the deities, Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi has decided to conduct a daylong painting workshop at the Parikrama site. At least 20 artists would also make live paintings on the theme of Shree Mandira Parikrama Prakalpa.
Director general of police (in-charge) Arun Sarangi accompanied by director (intelligence) Sanjeeb Panda visited Puri on Monday and finalised the security arrangements for Wednesday. Sarangi said Puri town will be covered in a thick security blanket.
“We have put in place a four-layer security system at the Parikrama site. At least 80 platoons of police forces, 100 senior supervisory officers, 250 officers of sub-inspector and assistant sub-inspector ranks, four bomb disposal and three dog squads would be deployed to ensure a smooth inauguration of the project. The security arrangement will be foolproof,” Sarangi said.