Bhubaneswar: The main door of Lingaraj temple will soon be cladded with silver plates. In a meeting held here Tuesday afternoon, senior officials from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) decided on this.
Servitors of the temple also took part in the discussion.
According to a BMC official, main door of the 11th-century Shaivite shrine got damaged during cyclonic storm Fani in 2019. The temple servitors were demanding replacement of the existing bronze plates since then. Proposed silver cladding will be carried out by the ASI.
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“The main door of Lingaraj temple got damaged during Fani in 2019. Making of new doors of the main gate is underway. We had a discussion with four Nijogs of the temple over additions to embellish the new doors,” BMC Commissioner Sanjay Singh said.
“Work for new main door of the shrine is underway and the doors will be installed soon,” ASI superintendent Arun Mallick said.
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the BMC to look after Lingaraj temple and carry out renovation works,” secretary of Badu Nijog Kamalakant Badu informed.
Notably, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri had also opted to clad four main gates of the temple with silver plates, a few months ago.
PNN