Ananta Basudev Temple Priests Urge for Expanded Kitchen and Ananda Bazar Space |
Bhubaneswar: Priests of Ananta Basudev Temple have demanded that the govt provides more space for cooking of prasad and Ananda Bazar (where people buy and eat prasad) on the premises as the current space is congested.
The 13th century shrine in the city’s Old Town area is known for its delicious ‘prasad’ attracting huge crowds on festivals, Mondays, and the holy month of Kartika.
Earlier, there was no provision to eat ‘prasad’ on the temple premises. As fondness for the temple’s ‘prasad’ among devotees grew, people started visiting the temple for the ‘prasad’ in large numbers. “Keeping the huge demand for prasad in mind, former chief minister Biju Patnaik constructed the Ananda Bazaar beside the temple on Aug 31, 1990,” said Biranchi Narayan Pati, secretary of Brahman Nijog Samiti.
He said the Ananda Bazaar, established 34 years ago, needs renovation. “Three decades ago, we had a small number of devotees ordering ‘prasad’. But now the number has increased manifold. Due to the development of communication, thousands of people visit the temple every day and take food resulting in congestion at Ananda Bazaar. A new place should be earmarked for Ananda Bazaar,” he added.
Pati said the temple kitchen is not spacious. “We cook ‘prasad’ for around 5,000 people every day. On special occasions, we cook double or triple the amount. To address these issues, we need a spacious place for cooking,” he added.
Sunil Mohapatra, a priest of the temple, said around 300 people are working in the temple to prepare prasad and serve it to devotees. “For these people, there are no toilets or urinals. Many of them, along with devotees, face difficulties finding a toilet nearby and urinate in the open space,” he added.
Ekamra MLA Babu Singh said the kitchen of Ananta Basudev Temple cannot be built outside the temple premises. “There are restrictions on construction inside the temple. But urinals and toilets will be built. A place has been identified near the temple for it,” he added.
The 13th century shrine in the city’s Old Town area is known for its delicious ‘prasad’ attracting huge crowds on festivals, Mondays, and the holy month of Kartika.
Earlier, there was no provision to eat ‘prasad’ on the temple premises. As fondness for the temple’s ‘prasad’ among devotees grew, people started visiting the temple for the ‘prasad’ in large numbers. “Keeping the huge demand for prasad in mind, former chief minister Biju Patnaik constructed the Ananda Bazaar beside the temple on Aug 31, 1990,” said Biranchi Narayan Pati, secretary of Brahman Nijog Samiti.
He said the Ananda Bazaar, established 34 years ago, needs renovation. “Three decades ago, we had a small number of devotees ordering ‘prasad’. But now the number has increased manifold. Due to the development of communication, thousands of people visit the temple every day and take food resulting in congestion at Ananda Bazaar. A new place should be earmarked for Ananda Bazaar,” he added.
Pati said the temple kitchen is not spacious. “We cook ‘prasad’ for around 5,000 people every day. On special occasions, we cook double or triple the amount. To address these issues, we need a spacious place for cooking,” he added.
Sunil Mohapatra, a priest of the temple, said around 300 people are working in the temple to prepare prasad and serve it to devotees. “For these people, there are no toilets or urinals. Many of them, along with devotees, face difficulties finding a toilet nearby and urinate in the open space,” he added.
Ekamra MLA Babu Singh said the kitchen of Ananta Basudev Temple cannot be built outside the temple premises. “There are restrictions on construction inside the temple. But urinals and toilets will be built. A place has been identified near the temple for it,” he added.
