Amid Ram Mandir, the other temple at centre of BJP's Odisha push

In the first week of January this year, hectic activities in connection with a temple event started in Odisha. Full-page newspaper ads were issued, big screens were put up at gram panchayats and block headquarters for live broadcast, door-to-door campaigns were started, and invites were sent to religious heads of around 1,000 temples across the country as well as celebrities and industrialists.

However, it was not for the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, but for the 'lokarpan' (dedication) ceremony of the sprawling heritage corridor in Puri. Built at a cost of Rs 800 crore, the Shree Jagannatha Heritage Corridor around the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri was inaugurated on January 17.

The timing of its inauguration by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did not go unnoticed, coming five days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Political pundits saw it as the BJD's attempt to steal a march on a rising BJP in the state, and negate its Hindutva push.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Divyasingha Deb during the inauguration ceremony of the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa (PTI)

And why not? The BJP is putting in everything this election season in a bid to tap the 25 years of anti-incumbency sentiments against the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government. The Jagannath temple and the BJD's temple corridor project have become key elements of its campaign.

The Jagannath temple has become the "other" temple around which the BJP has woven its campaign in Odisha.

However, it is not that the Ram temple inauguration in Ayodhya, some 1,200 km away, has not had an effect on the home of Lord Jagannath.

"In coastal Odisha, the Ram temple event resonated with the people, and may have some effect on the poll outcome. On January 22, saffron flags with images of Hanuman and Lord Ram were seen fluttering across the region. The Ram Mandir 'pran pratishtha' happened after 500 years and locals believe only the BJP could have made it possible," senior Odisha-based journalist Jit Pattnaik told IndiaToday.in.

Why Pattnaik is referring specifically to coastal Odisha is because the region has been an impregnable fort for the BJD.Â

BJP RAKES UP RATNA BHANDAR, DEMOLITION OF MUTTS

The BJP is irrefutably linked to the movement for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the 'Pran Pratishtha' event in January might have worked its share for the BJP.Â

However, the fact that Lord Jagannath is the most revered deity in Odisha has not been lost on the party.

The 12th century Jagannath Puri temple, which draws lakhs of tourists every year, mostly from neighbouring West Bengal, has a strong emotional connection with the people of Odisha.Â

One issue that top BJP leaders – from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the party's Puri candidate Sambit Patra – have kept bringing up is the "missing" keys of the Jagannath temple's Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove).

The Ratna Bhandar, which houses the precious ornaments of the deities given by devotees and erstwhile kings over centuries, has deep resonance among the people of Odisha. Its keys have been unaccounted for the last six years and that has not gone down well with the "god-fearing" people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a roadshow for Lok Sabha elections, in Puri (PTI)

"When the keys of houses are lost, we pray to Lord Jagannath and find them within one or two hours with the Lord's blessing. But the keys of the Ratna Bhandar are missing, and it has been six years now. The report of the commission of inquiry into the missing keys of Ratna Bhandar has been suppressed for six years as the keys have gone to Tamil Nadu," PM Modi said during his recent visit to Puri, where he received a thunderous welcome.

The Tamil Nadu reference was seen as a swipe at Naveen Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu.

PM Modi has also said that the probe report into the Ratna Bhandar and the full inventory of the ornaments would be made public if the BJP came to power in the state, where simultaneous Assembly polls are also being held.

On the other hand, BJP leaders like Amit Shah and JP Nadda have highlighted how the entrance into the Jagannath temple through only one (Lion Gate or Singha Dwar) of the four gates causes a huge rush and long queues, inconveniencing devotees.

Most locals haven't been too enthused with the development work.

"Singha Dwar ku Singapore koro nah," says a Puri-based social worker, expressing how he doesn't want the Lion Gate area not to be developed into something very touristy.

The BJP, which has released a separate manifesto only for the Puri constituency, has promised to open all the four gates of the temple.

The BJP's Puri candidate, Sambit Patra, who lost the election in 2019 by just 11,000 votes, has repeatedly blamed the BJD government for "mismanagement".

"They need to answer why three of the four doors are locked... Why are devotees inconvenienced and why have they not addressed the concerns of the people whose livelihood has been affected by the redevelopment?" Patra said.

PM Modi with BJP's Puri candidate Sambit Patra (PTI)

The social worker says on condition of anonymity that the closing of the doors has hugely inconvenienced Puri residents, for whom the Jagannath temple is a part and parcel of everyday life.Â

"The number of locals visiting the temple has dropped by 70%. There is resentment," he tells IndiaToday.In.Â

While locals in Puri admit that the Jagannath temple badly needed an expansion to cater to the rising footfall, not all are happy. The heritage corridor project has affected the livelihoods of several hawkers and the demolition of nearby mutts, some of them centuries old, has earned the BJD severe criticism.Â

"Several mutts were demolished during the redevelopment work, and it has angered a section of the people, culture enthusiasts and mahantas," journalist Jit Pattnaik of The Samaja - a 100-year-old Odia media organisation - said.

The mutts are synonymous with Puri, and they work towards the preservation of Jagannath culture. Besides, they also provide various services to the temple, ranging from preparing bhog to making the attires of the deities. They also provide food and shelter for the homeless.

"Puri locals aren't pleased with the development work around the Jagannath temple. At least 17 historical mutts have been destroyed because of the development work. Some with a history dating back to 500 years," says the Puri-based social worker.

Sambit Patra has promised that the BJP would resurrect and provide compensation to the mutts that were bulldozed within the 75-metre radius of the temple.Â

He has also flagged how most mutts are in a dilapidated condition due to being financially weak and the BJD government did very little to preserve the religious institutions.

The crowd in Puri during PM Modi's recent visit to Puri (PTI)

BJD GOES ON TEMPLE DEVELOPMENT SPREE

On the other hand, the BJD, battling 25 years of anti-incumbency, has tried to preempt the BJP's Hindutva pitch by taking up temple upgrade projects across the state.Â

Apart from the Jagannath temple, the BJD government has also moved to upgrade the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar, Chandi temple in Cuttack, Samaleshwari temple in Sambalpur, among others.Â

The list includes five churches, six mosques and two gurudwaras as well, as per a report in Odisha TV. The government has also sanctioned Rs 2 crore for a drinking water project at Dhamnagar dargah in Bhadrak.

"In Odisha, people vote on the basis of local issues and in the name of Naveen Patnaik. However, this time fatigue is a factor and anti-incumbency votes will go to the BJP," journalist Jit Pattnaik said.

Former Mumbai police commissioner and BJD's Puri candidate Arup Patnaik (Source: X)

The BJD has been winning the Puri Lok Sabha seat since 1998. However, in the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP gained a foothold by winning two of the seven seats in the Puri parliamentary constituency.

This time, the BJD dropped its sitting MP Pinaki Misra and fielded former Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik.

Journalist Pattnaik said the Puri Lok Sabha seat would not be a cakewalk for the BJD this time as Sambit Patra has built a good rapport with the locals.

"In the last five years, Sambit Patra has participated and sung songs in several cultural programmes across Puri. He also took part in several relief activities during the 2022 floods. He has gained more popularity than Arup Patnaik. There is a general feeling among the people here that the MP vote should go to Patra," Pattnaik said.

Will Puri locals have the Jagannath temple issue while voting on Saturday (May 25)? "Definitely. Puri locals are very attached to the Jagganath temple," says the Puri social worker.

In Puri, there is a general belief among the locals that whoever has Lord Jagannath's blessings, wins the polls.

It remains to be seen if the BJP's Odia version of religious politics by combining Lord Ram with Lord Jagganath lead to a saffron juggernaut in the temple town.

Watch Live TV in English

Watch Live TV in Hindi