 |
| Arun petro Kothi (rest House) on Old Jagannath Sadak Odisha orissadiary.com |
Above image: The rest house Arun Petro kothi is on the Old Jagannath Sadak - on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar city, Odisha. The Jagannath Sadak, old pilgrim road, used to extend from Calcutta to Puri. In the 1700s and later it was the lifeline for all pilgrims on their way to Jagannath temple, Puri. It was, from 1825,it was known as the Orissa Trunk Road during the early colonial rule. .............................
 |
| Location map. Bhubanewar city, Odisha. researchgate.net |
 |
| Arun petro Kothi (rest House)near Bhubaneswar odisha.in/2 |
Going on a pilgrimage to the ancient temple of Puri Jagannath, Odisha was an important religious undertaking among the Hindus of Bihar, Odisha and Bengal long ago and it had been around for centuries . In the olden days countless pilgrims would prefer walking barefoot the entire distance to Puri whereas many others would cover the strenuous long journey by bullock carts, hackneys, palanquins, horses, camels and even elephants. elephants.
After 1825 the old road called Orissa trunk road became busy during festival seasons. This road not only served the common men but also great saints such as Chaitanya, Namdev, Madhava Acharya, Guru Nanak, Ramananda, Kabir, Tulsidas, et al. To reach their destination - Puri Jagannath temple , they were dependent on this Old Jagannath Sadak which is said to have been known as the Road to Divinity. Many of them did mention about the road in their travel accounts
The old road often was flanked by many monuments and shrines and they helped the pilgrims to break their long journey for the night. Such old structures were almost gone for reasons of modern life, poor upkeep and lack of interest in them.
Among the vestiges of the past era on the Old Jagannath Sadak, just on the fringe of the capital city of Bhubaneswar is the Anu Patro Kothi - rest house mainly to cater to the pilgrims to the famous temple. It has been around for more than 140 years with improper maintenance and consequently, wilting under age, it is crumpling for want of urgent repair and conservation. Once a majestic building on the old road during its heyday it is in Gadasrirampur village under the Balianta P.S. This two story building built by one Anadi Patro between 1880-82 is between Bhingarpur and Sakhigopal just two kms away from the Sai Temple on the Puri Bypass road.
The builder of Anu Patro Kothi Anadi Patro was a farmer who had moved over to to Kolkata soon after the unfornunate 1866 Orissa famine - a Na Anka Durbhikshya of 1866 that saw the death of over a million people. Being shrewd as he was, Anadi Patro became a successful business man in Kolkata and used to visit his village in Odisha travelling on the Old Jagannath Sadak. He made a decision to have a rest house built on the old road for the benefits pilgrims visiting Puri. On a few occasions, he very much understood the travails and difficulties being faced by pilgrims who needed rest lodging facilities, etc after sundown. Being a devout and religious man, he converted the house as a resting place for the Jagannath pilgrims.
The neo-colonial house with ground floor and upper floor was built by expert artisans - masons, carpenters, etc brought from Kolkata; it was almost self- contained with a pond and two wells on the premises for the pilgrims. It was an attractive renthouse with stone-paved court yard large windows, well carved wooden doors and arched entrance. Adequate ventilation and high ceiling made the residents inside cozy during hot season. Also was built a temple and for years it was well-known spot for overnight say
The conservation agency INTACH and it team visited the site in the past and according one Anil Dhir, conservationist they made the state govt declare it as a protected monument of the Old Jagannath Sadak. He is of the opinion that the old house is one of the last surviving examples of the architecture of the period.
According to Dhir some palaces and old houses in Bhingarpur are in ruins and beyond restoration. Another old house at Dandamukundpur was completely destroyed last year - primary causes are poor upkeep and vagarious of weather, the worst is during the NE monsoon (October- November).
Total neglect of pieces of history of an area means we are gradually losing the link with the past. Past is always relevant to the present. The remaining vestiges of the Old Jagannath Sadak are very important for in them is frozen the culture and history of the State. It is part of the religious tradition of the true bhaktas of God Jagannath.The government should not ignore the cultural and religious ethos of the devotees of Lord Jagannatha of Puri.
http://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/2015/Nov/engpdf/44-48.pdf
https://orissadiary.com/historic-old-house-jagganath-sadak/
