Bhubaneswar: Officials announced on Saturday that the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) is set to develop a new guest house for pilgrims in Puri.

The facility will be called ‘Patitapaban Bhakta Niwas’ and will be located on land adjacent to the existing Niladri Bhakta Niwas. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the chief administrator of SJTA, stated that a request has been sent to the principal secretary of the Works Department to create a detailed project report (DPR) to facilitate the construction process.

Additionally, SJTA is seeking financial support from the state government through the ‘ABADHA’ scheme for this initiative. The proposal has received approval from the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, which is led by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb.

The new guest house will feature modern amenities, including a conference hall (Kalyan Mandap) and a dispensary. The Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC), a state-run enterprise, will be responsible for executing the project, as mentioned in the statement.

Currently, the temple administration manages four guest houses for devotees: Niladri, Nilachal, Srigundicha, and Purushottam Bhakta Niwas.