KONARK, ORISSA, March 23, 2003: Orissa International Center, a non-government organization, plans to submit a proposal to the Chief Minister of Orissa on April 1, that 100 acres of land between Konark and Chandrabaga be set aside for the building of a new Navagraha Temple. The temple would house the nine planets honored by the Indian school of astrology — Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Presently the nine planets occupy a humble abode that is in a state of disrepair. The new temple will be located outside the Sun Temple at Konark. Paresh Nayak, chief functionary of the OIC says, “12,000 sculptors from different parts of the state would be engaged in building the temple. However, the details and amount of money to be spent has not been worked out.” It is expected that money for the project will be collected from the people as well as NRI’s of the state.
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