Non-resident Odia donates Rs 1 cr to build Jagannath temple at his native village

Jajpur: A non-resident Odia has donated Rs 1 crore to build a Jagannath temple at his native village under Jajpur block in the district. Bhaskar Chandra Nayak, a doctor by profession, is currently settled in New York City in the USA.

Bhaskar, an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath, originally hailed from Jagatpur under Beruda panchayat has come to his native place with his wife 'Indrajita' to fulfil his dream to put up a Jagannath temple. They performed the 'bhumipuja' (ground breaking) ritual for the construction of the Jagannath temple at Jagatpur on Thursday.

While three Samaritans of the village---Satrugna Pradhan, Bijay Kumar Pradhan and Ajay Pradhan---have donated the land for the construction of the temple and its boundary wall, Bhaskar has donated Rs 1 crore for the purpose.

Reminiscing his childhood, Bhaskar said he was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath just like his father.

"My father was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath and so I am also. Lord Jagannath is our identity in the entire world. I still remember how my father took me to Puri Jagannath temple from my village by carrying me on his shoulder when I was a child. I had a dream to build a Jagannath temple at my native village and the dream came true after the bhumipujan for the shrine was performed," he said, adding the construction work for the temple has already started.

Bhaskar said whatever he achieved in life was due to the grace of Lord Jagannath and thanked all his fellow villagers, cutting across religions, for supporting him in his endeavour. Villagers of Jagatpur rejoiced on the occasion.

"Never had we hoped that we would one day have a magnificent Jagannath temple in our village. But, our village son, who is residing in America, will make it real. It would be an attractive temple as Rs 1 crore will be spent on it and the entire money is donated by our village son. We are proud of having a son like Bhaskar who has earned fame as local and also abroad," said Rabindra Pradan, a villager.

This will be the second such temple built by Bhaskar. Earlier, he had built a Jagannath temple in America to spread Odia culture and tradition there.