Nabarangpur: Millions of people across the globe are devoted to Lord Jagannath but the devotion of Jagannath Choudhury (72) to the Lord is unique. A native of Raju Sahi in Nabarangpur, Choudhury is spending his life’s earnings to build a Gundicha Temple at a cost of over Rs 60 lakh. Earlier, he donated his earnings to build a temple for Lord Jagannath and Ma Lakshmi in his native place and also provided for the gem throne in the temple.
Choudhury and his family members, comprising his wife, son, and two daughters, are ardent devotees of Lord Jagannath and have been supporting all his endeavours and appreciate his efforts.
Nine years ago, Choudhury noticed that the Gundicha Temple in his area was in a precarious state and decided to build a new temple for Lord Jagannath. Accordingly, he expressed his desire to the temple management and the district administration and was given a work order with an estimate and plan. The day he received the nod for constructing the new Gundicha Temple, Choudhry started working on his dream project. To date, he has spent over Rs 60 lakh for the construction of the temple.
What is unique about Choudhury’s devotion to the Lord is that besides spending his entire earnings on the construction of the temples, he has also been working physically to realise his dream. At the age of 72 years, he leaves home at 7.30 am to work alongside the labourers every day and returns home in the evening. His efforts are starting to bear fruits as about 90 percent of work on the Gundicha Temple is now complete.
Choudhury is a content man as after marrying off his son and two daughters, he has been able to surrender himself at the feet of Lord Jagannath. His son Samir Choudhury says that the entire family is proud of his father’s efforts and dedication to Lord Jagannath.
