Berhampur: The development board of Marda Jagannath temple near Mathura in Ganjam district has sought additional financial assistance from the govt for maintenance and for performing daily rituals at the over 300-year-old shrine. Last year, the govt had sanctioned Rs 1.98 crore for the temple’s makeover, but only a portion of the amount has been disbursed, sources said.
Kuresh Chandra Jani, block development officer at Polasara, who is also the secretary of the Shri Marda Jagannath Temple Development Board, recently wrote to the commissioner of endowments in the state for making a fund of Rs 500 per day for smooth conduct of daily rituals in the temple.“The temple has a glorious history. People from different places visit the temple to know about its history and to enjoy its scenic beauty. We requested the commissioner to make a provision of funds for its daily ritual and maintenance,” Jani said.
The temple, a marvellous architecture of Kalinga, the ancient Odisha, served as a safe hiding place for the deities of Jagannath Temple in Puri during 1733-1735 AD, when the Kalingan style temples were being targeted by invaders for destruction.
The temple has, however, remained empty ever since the deities of Puri returned to their abode – Srikhetra-Puri – after the situation settled down. “Since then, there has been no deity in the temple and Ratha Yatra or any other festival of the deities was never observed here. But the ritual was continued in three stone pedestals where the deities were kept during their stay here and the place is known as the ‘sarana sikshetra’, the residents said.
“Though there is no deity in the temple, it has a strong and historic connection with the deities of Jagannath temple, Puri. The Shri Jagannath Temple Administration in Puri had provided a financial assistance at Rs 100 per day for five years since 2008. Now the priests are performing the daily rituals, including preparing bhog in the temple, on their own as per tradition,” Mahant Sundar Ram Das, president of Marda Development Council, said.

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