TNI Bureau: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated the renovated memorial of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das and the newly built Utkalamani Museum in Puri district to the people of Odisha today.

During his visit to the district, the Chief Minister also unveiled a 15-feet life size statue of Gopabandhu Das at Pramoda Udyan.

The Utkalamani Museum has some of the rare articles including books used by Gopabandhu Das. It also houses some rare photographs of Gopabandhu.

The Chief Minister visited all the rooms of the renovated house and witnessed the ‘Sathee Ghar’ where the legend was donpato.

At the request of the people of Suando, Odisha government reportedly spent more than Rs 25.25 crore for renovation of the birth place of Utkalamani and its peripheral areas spread over seven acres. It has been renovated under the supervision of the 5T Department while the fund has been provided by Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).

With an aim to attract tourists to Gapabadhu’s birthplace, the State government also has developed a number of public amenities which include a Shiva temple, a park, a children’s playground, a canteen, a pond and a shopping complex at the bank of the Bhargavi river.

Likewise, a reception centre and an information centre have been set up on the main road to the village.

The Chief Minister also visited the Sathi Ghara and the village God Lokeswar temple.

While addressing the public, the CM said, “Gopbandhu was a man of the ages. The Odia people are always indebted to him. No matter what is done to protect his memory, it will be less.”

“The state government has decided to develop birthplaces for the sons of Odisha under 5T initiatives. The sacrifices of Madhusudan Das, Captain Fakir Mohan, Gangadhar Meher, Shaheed Laxman Naik and many more heroes have increased the glory of Odisha,” he added.

Notably, Secretary to CM (5T) V.K. Pandian had visited Suando earlier this month and reviewed the renovation works.