Uttarakhand Govt Vows To Take Care Of Neglected Jagannath Temple In Uttarakasi

Bhubaneswar: A Shree Jagannath Temple at Sald village in Uttarakasi district of Uttarakhand, which was lying neglected for years, will now get revival after the Government of Uttarakhand took charge of the centuries-old shrine.

Inaugurated by revered Adi Sankaracharya, the temple had been remaining unknown to crores of Jagannath lovers across the globe despite having all features of a potential tourist destination. The age-old temple, situated 4,000 sqft above the sea level amid picturesque villages, was recently rediscovered by the Odia cine actor Sabyasachi Mishra and his actress wife Archita.

After the star couple brought the temple to limelight, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took the sorry state of the religious structure to the Uttarakhand Government. Pradhan held a meeting with the CM Puskar Singh Dhami, Sabyasachi-Archita and Puri Jagannath temple priest Janardan Pattjoshi who first informed Mishra regarding the state of affairs of the shrine in the Himalayan State.

Pradhan urged the CM Dhami to visit the place personally to have darshan of Lord Jagannath at the temple.

The CM, in reply, promised to take all necessary measures to ensure that regular rituals are performed at the temple. Notably, the temple used to get locked for maximum times due to shortage of funds.

Dhami said his government is committed to develop the religious places in the State. The temple in question will also be revived, he added.

Dharmendra said he would also visit the place once the rain is subsided. Pradhan expressed his gratitude to the actor couple and the Puri servitor for the their efforts to explore the hidden shrine.

Puri priest Pattjoshi had visited the temple during his tour to the hilly-state for personal work. Later, he shared his experience with Sabyasachi in Puri. The actor took it on a mission and had planned to bring it to public attention.

The temple which was earlier overlooked by the local villagers got locked due to financial constraints.

The special legend of the temple is that the idol was made of stone while the sibling deities in Puri and other parts of the world are worshipped as ‘Daru Devata’ as the idols are made of neem wood.