On the seafront in Puri, there is the Satalahadi Mutt (the Mutt of Seven Waves). Legend has it that it was here Sri Jagannath Das, the Odia Bhagabatakar, composed a major part of the 11volume Bhagabata.
This epic is close to the heart of millions of Odia people. There was a time when it used to be recited in every home and the volumes were worshipped with other gods in the domestic temple.
Every time I visit Puri, I sit here for a while looking at the sea and imagining Jagannath Das's 15th century. On each occasion, I feel sad for the neglected site that has a tiny statue of the legendary poet, a decrepit hut, some shrubs and a small water tank. I am told that there is some encroachment on the opening towards the sea and the road running alongside.
There are several mutts in Puri, perhaps the most important being the one where Chaitanya once lived and now the Ouri Sankaracharya lives. There are a few Bengali mutts that are fairly wellkept and taken care of by the Bengali people and Bengali tourists visit them.
We owe it to the Odia people to convert this venue to a throbbing place of pilgrimage, tourism and culture. What needs to be done urgently is to remove all encroachment, raise a boundary wall demarcating the mutt compound, take up proper landscaping with greenery and a small pool. Most importantly, we must construct a library to house not only all available pothis of Bhagabat and all printed volumes in Odia, but all the editions of the great Bhabat Purana in all regional languages so that it becomes an allIndia centre for Bhagabat studies for scholars and researchers.
Naturally, there will be a reading room attached to the library. There has to be an appropriate bronze statue of the poet with a lekhani and pothi in hand. Above all, arrangements should be made to recite a chapter each in morning and evening with a microphone facing the sea.
Incorporating all these points, I personally presented a letter to the chief minister on July 9, 2009. He was extremely appreciative of the proposal and my offer that I would only be too happy to assist in this task. Naturally, he must have passed it on for action on the subject. Three years later, I received a small response from tourism department that the project was being implemented. On my next visit to Puri, I found that it was far from the project I had proposed. Later, I personally spoke to four successive ministers of culture and the secretary, culture and tourism, who promised to visit the site with me.
I have been distressed by the news of the latest developments. I learn from the Puri district office that a sevayat of the temple had encroached on a portion of the sea front and raised a wall. The district administration has dismantled this and the matter has gone to court.
All this happened because we did not take timely action on the project I had put before the chief minister and complete lack of appropriate followup action. Five years later, I am left with the feeling that we are unable to protect our heritage and perhaps, do not care for them.
(The writer is an eminent literatteur)