IN THIS SEASON OF TEMPLE AND TEMPLE TOWN makeovers, the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, stole a march over the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Or perhaps that was exactly the reason why the Naveen Patnaik government chose to unveil its ambitious temple project-a Rs 800 crore heritage corridor around the 12th century shrine-on January 17, five days ahead of the grand event in Ayodhya on January 22. The early inauguration managed to draw the shrine some attention it would never have been able to attract in the forever afterglow of Ayodhya. And so it was that the Shree Mandira Parikrama Prakalpa-one component of a Rs 4,200 crore project aimed to transform Puri, one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimage centres, into a world-class heritage city-was opened to the public.
"This is not the Puri we knew. What a welcome change our favourite pilgrimage site has undergone!" exults Manoj Thakur, a 52-year-old farmer who led a 50-strong contingent from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh on a week-long pilgrimage across the eastern states. He never expected to walk through air-conditioned, shaded pathways towards the temple. "The best part is now we can do the ritualistic parikrama (circumambulation). Jai Jagannath!" shouts his friend Panchu Ram, 50. It is precisely the enhancement of the pilgrim experience that the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) initiative focuses on.
This story is from the February 05, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 05, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
