Puri: Chief Justice (CJI) NV Ramana offered prayers at the Shri Jagannath temple on Saturday and later visited the 12th-century temple. Official sources said CJI will inaugurate the new building of Odisha state legal services authority in Cuttack later in the day. CJI arrived in Odisha on a two-day visit on Friday. CM Naveen Patnaik's private secretary VK Pandian, Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Krishna Kumar and District Collector Samarth Verma welcomed the CJI at the Singh gate of the temple.

One of the priests said that the Chief Justice stayed in the temple premises for 45 minutes and praised the SJTA for the ongoing beautification work in and around the temple. During the visit of CJI, Chief Justice of Odisha High Court S Muralidhar, Superintendent of Archaeological Survey of India (Odisha Circle) Arun Kumar Malik and several other top officials were present at the temple. CJI will return to Delhi this evening.

CJI worshipped Shivlinga at the temple along with Justice Vineet Saran during which CJI was seen wearing traditional costumes and face masks. Surrounded by priests and senior officials, CJI Ramana spent about 45 minutes in the 12th-century temple complex. Janardhan Pattajoshi Mohapatra, the chief servant of the temple, said, 'After worshipping Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra in the main temple, he also visited some other temples in the Jagannath temple complex.'

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