Puri: Following the announcement by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for demolition of ‘Biju Samadhi’ at Swargadwar, the district administration is all set to initiate the construction work for renovation of the cremation ground here, sources said.
The administration has recently consulted Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati on various issues regarding Swargadwar facelift.
On behalf of the district administration, Additional Collector Binay Kumar Dash met the seer and apprised the latter of a blueprint for the development of Swargadwar. “The administration does not want any controversy with regard to the development of Swargadwar. It has consulted the Shankaracharya on the issue. The seer has given his green signal to the blueprint prepared by the administration for renovating the cremation ground,” said a source.
Many people across the state usually prefer to perform the last rites of their near and dear at Swargadwar cremation ground.
‘Swarga’ means heaven and ‘Dwar’ means gateway. So, it is believed that Swargadwar cremation ground is the gateway to heaven. As per the belief, the soul finds the ultimate salvation if the body is cremated at Swargadwar, which has close link with the Jagannath culture.
However, poor facilities at Swargadwar often cause inconvenience to the bereaved people who opt to consign the bodies to flames at the seaside cremation ground.
Taking the issue seriously, the state government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore to develop infrastructure at Swargadwar. It has also decided to develop the cremation ground in line with Mahaprasthanam crematorium in Hyderabad.
As per the plan, the entrance of Swargadwar will be beautified and the cremation ground will have restroom for the bereaved people. Besides, some elevated platforms will be constructed for cremation of bodies. Moreover, the cremation ground will be beautified with lawns and special facilities will be made for storage of ‘asthi’ or bone remains.
It is worth mentioning here that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced the demolition of the ‘Biju Samadhi’ (the memorial of his father Biju Patnaik) to pave way for the renovation of Swargadwar.