Ekamra project will be completed by March 2027

Bhubaneswar: The Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monument Revival Action (Ekamra) project at the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar will be completed by March 2027, Works Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Harichandan said an additional scope of work has been undertaken under the project in Bhubaneswar’s Old Town area.

“We are making efforts to complete the project by the end of the 2026-27 financial year. I am confident that we will complete the work by the targeted time,” he said. “We have decided to build a big statue of Lord Shiva and construct an interpretation centre. Besides, the Bindu Sagar near the temple will be redeveloped as a heritage lake,” he added.

Harichandan said the agency, which was executing the works, has been disengaged as they don’t want to continue.

A fresh project plan is being prepared with allocation of additional budget, he said.

The redevelopment of Bindu Sagar is designed to restore the 11th century spiritual and ecological landscape of Bhubaneswar’s Old Town. The project aims to create a “barrier-free” connection between the Lingaraj temple and the lake, reflecting its historical state from 350 years ago. Bindu Sagar will be fully desilted and cleaned using hydrodynamic cavitation technology and bio-remediation to restore water clarity.

Restoration includes Devipadahara, Papanasini, Godabari and Kotitirtha, linking them to Bindu Sagar to maintain water levels and ecological health. New plazas, including the Lingaraj, Ananta Basudev, and Kedar Gauri plazas, will serve as major transit and gathering points for devotees.

The western bank’s Ekamra Van (medicinal plant garden) will be further enhanced to showcase over 200 species of therapeutic plants linked to Hindu mythology.

The previous BJD government had, in 2019, planned the Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action Plan, which is known as the ‘Ekamra’ project.