Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), Oct 4: Following orders from the Odisha government, the Puri district administration auctioned over 10,000 quintals of “Arpan Rice” collected by the previous government for the Srimandira Parikrama project. The auction yielded Rs 2.86 crore, which has been deposited into the Puri Jagannath Temple fund.
Puri Collector and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Deputy Chief Administrator Siddharth Shankar Swain announced that a rice mill owner from Nimapada purchased the entire stock. A total of 14,017.23 quintals of Arpan Rice had been gathered from devotees across Odisha and transported to Puri prior to the Parikrama project.
Out of this total, 4,610.44 quintals were stored at the Srigundicha Temple, 2,618.07 quintals with the Akshayapatra Foundation, and 6,788.72 quintals in a civil supplies godown. Additionally, 3,856.84 quintals of Arpan Rice from the Srigundicha Temple were used to prepare Mahaprasad for free distribution among devotees at the Puri Jagannath Temple. However, the rice stored in the godowns became unfit for use in Mahaprasad for Lord Jagannath and his siblings, prompting the Chief Minister Mohan Majhi-led government to decide on the auction.
Auction of Arpan rice yields Rs 2.86 crore for Puri Jagannath Temple fund
