Puri Jagannath Temple
Bhubaneswar: In a major step to strengthen the protection and management of the landed properties of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath, Bije Puri, the Odisha government has directed all Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs), Collectors and senior revenue officials to accord the highest priority to safeguarding temple lands and ensuring the expeditious disposal of thousands of pending revenue cases.
The Revenue and Disaster Management Department has issued a comprehensive set of directions to revenue authorities across the state, reiterating the government’s commitment to preserving the deity’s extensive landed properties through accurate record management, legal protection and strict monitoring.
In a communication addressed to the Board of Revenue, all RDCs, Collectors and the Director of Land Records and Survey (DLRS), Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee instructed officials to take immediate action in accordance with statutory provisions, government instructions and judicial orders concerning the properties of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath.
Emphasising the significance of the initiative, Dr Padhee said the identity of Odisha is intrinsically linked with Mahaprabhu Jagannath and safeguarding the deity’s properties is a collective responsibility. He observed that issues relating to the recording, protection and management of temple lands require urgent intervention and directed all district administrations to act without delay.
The department has accorded top priority to the disposal of 11,675 miscellaneous revenue cases instituted by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and pending before various Tahasils in Khordha, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Ganjam, Cuttack and Kendrapara districts.
Officials have been directed to personally monitor the progress of these cases and ensure their early disposal in accordance with applicable laws and earlier instructions issued by the Board of Revenue.
The government has also ordered immediate implementation of decisions passed by the Member, Board of Revenue, in 257 cases filed by the SJTA under Section 7(A) of the Odisha Estates Abolition Act. Copies of these orders have already been communicated to the respective Tahasildars for prompt compliance.
Recognising that proper land records form the foundation of effective protection, the Revenue Department has instructed Tahasildars to examine the 1927-28 Record of Rights (RoR) and initiate correction of Khewats wherever necessary.
Revenue officers have also been asked to verify historical records while adjudicating disputes involving Jagannath temple properties. These include the pre-settlement and settlement records published during 1888-89, 1925-26, 1927-28, 1929-30 and 1977-78, besides other relevant historical revenue documents.
The objective is to ensure accurate determination of ownership and preparation of legally valid records relating to the temple’s endowment properties.
To facilitate effective legal proceedings, the department has directed that authenticated copies of pre-settlement and settlement Records of Rights, along with settlement-to-current record correlation reports, be made available to the SJTA at the earliest.
The government has instructed Collectors to deploy experienced Revenue Inspectors, Amins and other field-level revenue personnel for identification, verification and protection of temple lands.
These officials will conduct regular field inspections to prevent illegal encroachment, unauthorised occupation, fraudulent claims and creation of private interests over lands belonging to Mahaprabhu Jagannath.
The department has stressed that all cases concerning temple properties must receive the highest administrative priority. Progress will be reviewed every month during revenue review meetings at the district, sub-divisional and Tahasil levels, while monthly progress reports will be submitted to the Revenue and Disaster Management Department for monitoring.
The government said these measures are aimed at ensuring effective preservation of the deity’s landed properties while minimising avoidable litigation through timely administrative intervention.
The latest directives come days after the state government announced a major milestone in updating the land records of the Shree Jagannath Temple.
On July 5, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department informed that it had completed the correction of Record of Rights (RoR) for 4,713.225 acres of temple land spread across 785 khatas in Khurda district.
The exercise covered 796 khatas involving 4,728.357 acres of land belonging to Mahaprabhu Jagannath. The remaining records are being corrected on a priority basis.
The initiative was undertaken to rectify land records where temple lands were either recorded in the names of intermediaries (Marfatdars) or required updating to reflect the ownership of the deity.
The progress was reviewed at a meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee. The department credited the coordinated efforts of the Khurda and Bhubaneswar Sub-Collectors, along with Tahasildars across the district, for expediting the record correction process.
Dr Padhee reiterated that the department remains committed to securing all landed properties of Mahaprabhu Jagannath through accurate record management and robust legal safeguards. He added that similar initiatives are being implemented in other districts to ensure comprehensive protection of temple assets.
According to official data, the Odisha government has identified 60,426.943 acres of land belonging to the Shree Jagannath Temple within and outside the state. Of this, 395.252 acres are located outside Odisha in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari congratulated the district administration and revenue officials for successfully completing the record correction exercise in Khurda, describing it as a significant step towards safeguarding the centuries-old endowment properties of Mahaprabhu Jagannath.
With the latest directives, the state government has reinforced its resolve to ensure systematic management, legal protection and transparent administration of one of Odisha’s most valuable religious endowments, while accelerating the resolution of long-pending land disputes relating to the Shree Jagannath Temple.
