Experts probe water scarcity in Puri Temple
Pioneer News Service / Bhubaneswar
In the wake of a hue and cry over the receding water level of the wells within the famous Puri Jagannath temple, a team of experts is reported to have visited the shrine recently for an on-spot assessment of the crisis which has affected the cooking of "mahaprasad."
There are six wells inside the premises but water for cooking is used mainly from two considered holy.
Sources said that the experts felt that unplanned digging of bore wells and dug wells in the vicinity of the famous shrine could be responsible for the shrinkage in their water level.
Lack of maintenance could be another factor contributing to their condition which is believed to have assumed crisis proportions.
The kitchen of Jagannath temple, considered to one of the largest in the world, uses up several thousand litres of water drawn from the wells within the campus. Well water is also used for various rituals.
The demand of water in the kitchen goes up on festive occasions when the quantity of mahaprasad increases significantly.
The issue of water crisis in the temple protected and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India became public recently following an outcry from the servitors, especially those engaged in the kitchen.