Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai arrived in Shreekshetra on Sunday and offered prayers before Lord Jagannath, seeking peace and prosperity for the people of his state. He was accompanied by his wife, Kaushalya Sai, and daughter Smriti Sai.
Near the Singhadwara, Puri Collector Dibyajyoti Parida and senior servitors received the visiting chief minister. Inside the 12th-century shrine, Sai had darshan of the Chaturdha Vigraha on the Ratnasinghasana — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — and later offered prayers at the shrines of Maa Bimala, Maa Lakshmi and other parshwa deities.
Calling the visit a rare blessing, Sai said he had prayed to Mahaprabhu for the happiness, prosperity and well-being of the people of Chhattisgarh. He also recalled the long historical and spiritual ties that bind Odisha and Chhattisgarh, a relationship that goes far beyond politics and administration.
The pilgrimage came on the second day of his Odisha tour, after talks in Bhubaneswar with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. On the long-running Mahanadi water-sharing issue, Sai said both state governments have agreed to accept the decision of the Central Water Commission and expressed hope that a settlement would come soon. Talks between the two governments remain under way. On July 30, the Union Jal Shakti Minister had chaired a meeting with both chief ministers in New Delhi to push an amicable, time-bound resolution.
For Puri, the visit was another reminder that Jagannath culture travels well beyond Odisha’s borders. For Sai, it was personal as well as political: a family darshan in the temple that millions regard as the heart of eastern India’s faith, and a public message that neighbouring states can pray together even as they negotiate a river that belongs to both.
