Puri Lokanath Temple, Brahmagiri Alarnath Shrine To Get Facelift

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today approved the proposed master plan for the development of Lokanath Temple in Puri and Alarnath Temple in Brahmagiri.

While Rs 28 crore has been sanctioned for the development of Sri Lokanath Temple, the Alarnath shrine will get Rs 8 crore for the purpose. The re-development of both the temples will be completed within a year.

Shree Loknath Temple is one of the most important Shaiva Seats of the state. According to Puranas, Lord Sri Rama Chandra while searching for Goddess Sita had established Lord Lokanath temple here and worshiped. Sri Lokanath is believed to be the custodian of the jewels of the Jagannath temple Ratna Bhandar.

According to the master plan of Sri Lokanath temple, the inner gate, outer gate of the temple will be improved and various facilities will be arranged for the servitors and devotees. Apart from this, parking, modern road traffic system, improvement of approach road and special parking will be arranged for the convenience of sevayats at the western gate. Besides, the old marble stones in the inner gate will be replaced with Khondalite stones and the temple garden will be also developed.

Apart from this, the temple wall will be repaired along with lighting arrangements along with widening of the outer periphery, new roads, landscaping, lighting, building space and development of two Mundan Mandaps. Since drainage is a major problem, the drainage system will be improved both inside and outside the temple.

The temple’s pond, Parvati Sagar will also be developed and it will have 267 meters of elevated wall around it, cleaning of the pond, steps, landscaping, lighting and space for sitting. Arrangements will also be made for parking.

The 400-meter-long approach road leading to the temple will be improved and 4 roads will be developed. 4 major roads connected to the temple will also be improved.

Similarly, the famous Alarnath temple of Brahmagiri will also be developed. Located 24 km from Puri and 25 km from Satapada, this temple is believed to have been built between the 15th and 16th centuries. Lord Shri Alarnath is believed to be an embodiment of Lord Shri Jagannath. Devotees go for Alarnath darshan during the Ansara of Lord Sri Jagannath.

As per the master plan, the entire area will be developed and turned into an attractive tourist area with the beautification of its entry and exit points, local inner roads, Arun Pillar, Chandan Pond etc. The temple’s entrance will be widened by 40 feet and 18 feet high within installation of Khondalite stone.

The road leading to the temple will be made 40 feet wide with paver blocks and drains will be provided on both sides. Along with this, parking arrangements will be made for 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler vehicles. The area in front of the temple will be converted into a beautiful plaza by installing Khondalite stone and paver blocks along with drainage. Marbles will be removed from all parts of the temple and Khondalite stone will be installed. New wooden doors will be installed in place of old doors. Landscaping will be done by beautifying Chandan pond and Tulasi forest along with improved Drainage system. Rs 8 crores will be spent on the development of the famous temple and it will take 1 year to complete the work.

It is worth noting that on the instructions of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, 5T Secretary V.K. Pandian recently visited both Lokanath Temple and Alarnath Temple and ordered the preparation of its master plan. The priests of both the temples thanked the Chief Minister for the development of the temple through video conferencing with the Puri District Collector and invited him to visit the temple and have darshan. The Chief Minister also said that he will visit both the temples soon.