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| An aerial view of Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture |
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 27: All hoardings around the 11th century Lingaraj Temple — the famous Shiva shrine — will be removed as part of the beautification drive in the capital.
A decision to this effect has been taken at a high-level meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik on January 25, said a senior government official of the state government.
The road between Bindusagar pond and the Lingaraj temple will be closed. Instead, people would be asked to use the road behind the Ananta Basudev temple to reach the Lingaraj Temple. All vehicles will be routed through that road, the meeting decided.
It was also decided that heavy vehicles would not be allowed to enter near the temple complex. At present, heavy vehicles are parked near the Ananta Basudev temple.
Dynamic electric system will be installed in the Lingaraj temple and other adjoining temples including Parshurameshwar, Rameshwar, Laxmaneshwar, Mukteshwar and Rajarani Temple so that the visitors had a better view of the temples in the evenings. People could see the temples from a distance because of new illumination arrangements.
The meeting also reviewed renovation and beautification of the banks of the Bindusagar tank, the largest water body in the capital. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is executing the project.
Considered as a holy tank, Bindusagar is bordered by 7,000 temples including the Lingaraj Temple. Thousands of people take holy dips before visiting the surrounding temples. “Our purpose is to make the sacred water cleaner and purer. Work is going on in this regard in full-swing,” said BMC mayor Annata Naryan Jena.
BMC officials said: “One side of the lake has already Ekamra Vana — herbal garden developed by the forest department. We have planned for the other three sides to have embankments and pathways with laterite stone. Beautification project will be in harmony with the original design of the temples. Anupam Sah, who had executed the Ekamra Vana project is the consultant for this project.
