Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has stood out for allocating resources to not only renovate temples but several mosques and churches in Odisha. When the FCRA for Missionaries of Charity (MOC) was not renewed by the Union Home Ministry, Patnaik released funds from the Chief minister’s Relief Fund to the MOC units operating in Odisha so that their service to the poor and the deprived could continue unhindered.
On 18th May, 2022, Patnaik participated in the Pratistha Mahotsav at a modern temple structure of goddess Tara Tarini in Ganjam and prayed for harmony, peace, and well-being of all people. Located on the Kumari Hills, the state government has installed a ropeway for the visitors and renovated the temple, which draws devotees from all castes and all faiths, into a modern temple.
A meditation centre and library under construction within the temple is evocative of Swami Vivekananda’s vision and modelled after Ramakrishna Mission Ashrams with a hall for meditation and a library located close to it. The Chief Minister also dedicated a Prasad Sevan hall, Interpretation Centre and Food kiosks. The revamped temple structure showcases the acclaimed sculpture and architecture of Odisha.
Mahatma Gandhi in an article “Model Temple” published in the Harijan on 29th April, 1933, wrote on his idea of a temple. He wrote, “It (temple) must be … extensive… it need not be in the heart of a village or a city. It should be easily accessible to the Harijans and the other poor and yet it must not be in insanitary surroundings. If possible, it should be higher than its surroundings. In any case, I would aim at making the plinth of the actual temple as high as possible. And on this site, I should select my plot for daily worship. Round this will come into being a school, a dispensary, a library, secular and religious. The school may serve also as a meeting or debating hall. I should have a dharmsala or guest house connected with the temple.
