Deccan Chronicle
VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA, July 7, 2003: The famous Puri Jagannath Swamy Temple will soon have a US$21 million corpus fund. The temple managing committee has decided to sell “unwanted lands” of the temple which are located in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Chairman of the temple managing committee, Gajapathi Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, told a group of newsmen that the land identification process had been launched and the disposal would begin soon. The $21 million corpus fund would include the amount made through sale of lands, donations collected from the devotees and sponsors, and the regular income the temple makes. These funds will help the temple to meet all its ritual, maintenance and administrative expenses. Presently, the temple is making only around $400,000 per year while expenditures are twice that amount. The State government is presently extending aid to meet the expenses.