An entrepreneur of Odia heritage named Biswanath Patnaik has generously donated £25 million (about Rs. 250 crore) to the building of Britain’s first Jagannath Temple. One of the largest charitable gifts to a temple outside of India was made to the UK-based organisation Shree Jagannatha Society UK (SJSUK).
Biswanath Patnaik, who is he?
Billionaire Patnaik founded the FinNest Group of Businesses, a renewable energy-focused private equity investment company. During the first-ever Jagannath Convention held in the UK on Akshaya Trithiya, he made his commitment public. Arun Kar, the MD of FinNest, is a significant donor as well.
First Jagannath Temple in Britain
With £7 million (Rs 70 crore) of the planned £25 million set aside for the purchase of roughly 15 acres of land on the outskirts of London, the construction of Britain’s first Jagannath Temple is moving forward quickly. The local council has received a pre-planning application, which is indicative that the temple’s plans are progressing. By the end of 2024, the initial phase of construction is anticipated to be complete.
Relating to the UK’s first-ever Jagannath Convention
The convention, which was the first of its sort in Europe, attracted around 600 worshippers from various parts of the UK and Ireland. A number of notable individuals attended the event, including Amish Tripathi, a minister in the Indian High Commission, and Sujit Ghosh, the deputy high commissioner of India.
Gajapati Maharaj Shri Dibyasingha Deb, the titular maharaja of Puri and an aadya sevak of Lord Jagannatha, and the titular maharani Leelabati Pattamahadei attended the convention, which was held at the Navnat Centre in Hayes.
Speaking to the crowd, Gajapati Maharaj discussed Lord Jagannatha’s customs and the significance of Purushottama Kshetra. He also expressed his joy on the spread of Lord Jagannatha worship throughout the world and in various regions of India.
“Lord Jagannatha is invoked and worshipped by virtually all the diverse religious sampradayas, each in their own way. Lord Jagannatha is also worshipped by Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. This universal all-inclusive dimension of the tradition of Lord Jagannatha reminds us that we are all children of the one divine father (vasudhaiva kutumbakam) and co-travellers on the path to divinity,” he said.
UK-based Shree Jagannatha Society
Three years ago, on the auspicious day of Akshaya Trithiya, SJS UK was established. Since then, it has been registered with the Charity Commission. Dr. Sahadev Swain, the chair of SJS UK, expressed hope that the temple will become a major pilgrimage destination and the centre of Jagannatha culture in Europe.
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