Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday wrote to his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik urging him to retract the state government's decision to demolish the Mangu Mutt in Puri associated with Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev.
Captain Amarinder said the move to demolish the Mutt is "unfortunate" as it had age-old significance for the Sikh community, as Guru Nanak Dev had visited the holy temple to spread his universal message of the oneness of God, read a statement by Punjab government.
The Punjab Chief Minister also said that it was shocking that while the whole world was getting ready to commemorate the 550th Prakash Purb of the first Sikh Guru, the historically important Mutt, a symbol of the connection between Sikhism and the Jagannath Temple, was sought to be demolished by the Odisha government.
The statement further quoted media reports suggesting that the Odisha government had decided to demolish the Mutt to make way for a heritage corridor within 75 metres of 'Meghanad Prachir' of the Jagannath Temple.
"Set up in 1615 by Bhai Almast, a Sikh preacher and head of Dhuari of the Udasi Sect, the Mangu Mutt was also visited by Guru Tegh Bahadur in 1670. Further, the eldest son of Guru Hargobind, Baba Gurditta, had chosen Bhai Almast to disseminate Guru Nanak's message," the statement mentioned.
Besides, the Mutt was the abode of the Nanak Panthis, who were primarily responsible for taking Jagannath culture to North India. The image of Baba Shri Chand, Guru Nanak's son is kept in the shrine inside the mutt, it added.
( With inputs from ANI )