BHUBANESWAR: A day after President Ram Nath Kovind nominated Raghunath Mohapatra and three others to the Rajya Sabha, the sculptor's efforts to build a 'second' Konark Temple is back on the political centre stage in the state.Mohapatra said his dream of creating a replica of the 13th century Sun Temple was a step closer to reality now. "Building a second Konark temple is my dream. I want to revive the art work, and present the same to the country. I see this happening with the cooperation of the Centre and the state government," Mohapatra said, after paying obeisance at the Lingaraj Temple, an 11th century Shiva shrine here.Raghunath has found backing in Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The minister, who also visited Lingaraj around the same time, said, "I completely support the move. The entire country will back the efforts to build a second Konark. Mohapatra's ancestors built the Jagannath, Konark and Lingaraj temples."The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD reacted angrily to Dharmendra's claims. "The BJD will support any move to promote the state's art, culture and heritage, but the Centre should not drag Konark into politics. It's a reflection of the state's rich cultural heritage," said BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra.Famous for his work on the preservation of ancient monuments, Mohapatra has talked about the need for a second Konark, to be called the Aditya Narayan Temple, for the past five years. He added that he wanted to give the nation a glimpse into the actual glory of Konark, only a portion of which remains now.Considered an architectural marvel, the cause of the Sun Temple's destruction is unclear. While many believe it originates from natural causes, others say invaders destroyed it. Another school of thought says the Konark Temple was never completed.Mohapatra, a Class III dropout who was awarded the Padma Shri in 1975, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2013, had last year said he would complete the temple project on a 100-acre land on the Puri-Bhubaneswar route. "The move will not be a wasteful expenditure because the work will generate employment opportunities and the temple will attract tourists," he said.People in the state, however, seemed divided over the need for a second Konark. Lauding Mohapatra's dream, Biswaranjan Nayak, the state's chief architect, said only a sculptor of his calibre could dream of building a second Konark. "One must welcome this. If a second Konark is built, the world will get to know what the temple actually looked like," he said.Pritish Acharya, a professor of history, said the project would nurture talent but called for a debate on its expenditure.

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