Puri: Around 10,300 quintals of arpan rice was auctioned fetching Rs 2.86 crore to the Puri Srimandir fund. Puri District Collector and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Deputy Chief Administrator Siddharth Shankar Swain said that Suresh Kumar Mohanty of Nimapada Ma Tardhana Rice Mill bought the entire stock of arpan rice auctioned.
A total of 14,017.23 quintals of rice was collected and brought to Puri. Of this, 4610.44 quintals were stored in Srigundicha Temple, 2618.07 quintals in Akshayapatra Foundation and 6788.72 quintals in Puri godown of the Supply Department.
Only 3,856.84 quintals of rice from Srigundicha temple was given to Suar Mahasura Nijoga.
It was decided to prepare Mahaprasad from the arpan rice and distribute it among devotees visiting Puri Jagannath Temple. Accordingly, Mahaprasad was prepared and distributed at the four gates of the temple. But after the change in government, the preparation and distribution of Mahaprasad was stopped. As a result, some of the rice was declared unfit for use as Mahaprasad and hence it was auctioned.
