Shree Jagannath Temple's Vast Land Holdings Across India Unveiled

The Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, overseen by the Law department via the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1956, owns over 60,426 acres in Odisha and about 400 acres across six states. Illegal occupations have been identified, and actions are underway to reclaim encroached land.

In an assembly session on Saturday, Odisha's Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan disclosed that the revered Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri possesses over 60,426 acres of land within the state, and nearly 400 more scattered across six other Indian states.

The Law department administers the 12th-century shrine under the Shree Jagannath Temple Act of 1956. The temple's extensive holdings are spread across 24 Odisha districts and additionally extend to West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar.

Minister Harichandan noted multiple illegal occupations on temple land, leading to 974 eviction cases being filed under the same Act. The government is actively pursuing measures to secure and protect the temple's property assets.

(With inputs from agencies.)