Puri: A day before taking oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for the fifth time in a row, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik Tuesday visited Srimandir and paid obeisance to Lord Jagannath.
Patnaik reached the Lions’ Gate of Srimandir around 5 pm. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief PK Mohapatra and other officials welcomed Patnaik by presenting the traditional Khandua pata.
Patnaik reached Bhitarkatha (inner barricade of the shrine) by passing through 22 Pahacha (22 steps), Bata Agana, Kirtan Chakada and Ghanti gate. He left the shrine after paying obeisance to the presiding deities.
“I visited Srimandir to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath before the oath-taking ceremony. I prayed for the wellbeing of Odia people,” Patnaik said to media persons at the Lions’ Gate.