Today marked a significant moment for devotees as all four gates of the historic Puri Jagannath Temple were reopened. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, accompanied by Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Prabhati Parida, offered prayers at this revered 12th-century shrine.
The temple's gates had remained closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, following the recent swearing-in of Majhi's BJP government, the first Cabinet meeting approved the proposal to reopen all four gates of the Shree Jagannath Temple.
Puri MP Sambit Patra, Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, and other ministers and leaders were also present during this auspicious occasion. Speaking about the reopening, Chief Minister Majhi stated, "We proposed to open all four gates of Jagannath Temple in yesterday's Cabinet meeting. The proposal was passed, and today at 6:30 am, I, along with my MLAs and Puri MP Sambit Patra, attended the 'Mangala aarti'. To support the temple's development and other related works, we have proposed a Rs 500 crore corpus fund, which will be included in the next state budget."
State Minister Suryabanshi Suraj highlighted the significance of the event, saying, "During the elections, we promised to reopen all four gates. Today, all members of the Council of Ministers are here, and the Chief Minister has announced a Rs 500 crore fund for development projects."
Previously, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) administration had kept the temple's gates closed due to the pandemic. The reopening symbolizes a new chapter under the BJP's leadership in Odisha.
Chief Minister Majhi, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Prabhati Parida, was sworn in on Wednesday. The ceremony, held at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar, was attended by prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The oath-taking event also saw the presence of BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, who served as Odisha's Chief Minister for 24 years. Notable dignitaries from the BJP, such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Nitin Gadkari, and various Chief Ministers from across India, were present to witness the historic occasion.
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