Devotees of Maa Cuttack Chandi fret amid delay in temple construction

PUBLISHED: 29 Jul 2025, 10:07 PM IST
LAST UPDATE: 29 Jul 2025, 10:07 PM IST

Despite ongoing festive preparations, prolonged construction at the Cuttack Chandi Temple continues to frustrate devotees.

With major rituals like Shola Puja approaching, incomplete renovations have raised serious concerns among worshippers and locals alike.

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According to sources, as the city prepares for upcoming festivals, worshippers at Cuttack’s iconic Chandi Temple are grappling with disappointment. The revered shrine—home to presiding deity Maa Cuttack Chandi—is still under renovation, and only half the work is done, despite a three-year timeline. Locals resented the administration’s apathy.

In 2022, the Odisha government had allocated Rs 70 crore for expansion and redevelopment of the temple, entrusting the job to OBCC (Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation). However, most of the structure remains incomplete, forcing the daily puja and darshan to take place under makeshift arrangements like cloth canopies and basic barricades.

Devotees are currently unable to reach close to the idol for darshan due to the construction work, which is still underway. The shrine’s condition has drawn public criticism and concern from both priests and worshippers.

Though the district administration has conducted several reviews, construction progress has been sluggish. The District Collector has stated that some parts, like shop houses, are done, and kitchen work is going on. However, delays are blamed on the unavailability of proper stone materials.

As Shola Puja draws near, questions loom whether the temple will be ready. Locals are demanding urgent attention from both authorities and the construction agency, but OBCC has remained silent so far.

With growing frustration, Maa Cuttack Chandi Temple Surakhya Committee (a local outfit) has approached the Orissa High Court with a PIL, citing negligence, mismanagement, and slow pace of work. Nine government departments have been named in the case.

The District Collector has now promised that all work will be completed by the end of December 2025—a commitment being watched closely by the people of Cuttack.

“I do not understand what we would do, in case the temple construction work is not completed before Dussehra (October this year). Where would we place the Ghata and where would we worship the deity?” the temple’s chief priest, Bikram Keshari Panda, said when contacted.

“Shola Beshas of the Goddess are to be performed. Bada Puja ritual will also be performed thereafter, but ample space is not available here,” the chief priest stated to OTV.