Summary:
BHUBANESWAR: After several years of dithering, the Shree Jagannath Temple administration in Puri has launched a fresh attempt to replace Laxmi idol with a new one that was sculpted in 1972. Of the seven idols, the images of Lord Balabhadra , Devi Subhadra, Lord Jagannath, Sudarshan and Madhav are made of Neem-wood. Each group has been staking claim to install the idol, leaving the temple administration in a fix.Though a separate Mahalaxmi temple exists on the premises of Jagannath temple, another tiny idol of Goddess Laxmi, made up of gold, is seated on the left of Lord Jagannath in the sanctum sanctorum. The Laxmi’s idol was damaged several years ago prompting the administration to sculpt a new idol in 1972. The consecration of the new idol has been hanging fire for last 46 years due to tug-of-war between two groups of servitors..