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An Indian-origin billionaire has donated ₹250 crores for the construction of UK’s first Jagannath temple in London. Biswanath Patnaik, who hails from Odisha, pledged the whopping amount to the British charity working on building the temple, according to news agency PTI.
The first phase of the temple is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Reportedly, it is one of the largest contributions ever made to a temple abroad. Shree Jagannatha Society (SJS) UK, registered with the Charity Commission in England, said that the announcement was made during the first Jagannath Convention held in the UK on Akshaya Tritiya on Sunday.
At the event, Patnaik exhorted devotees to collectively work towards achieving the dream of having a Jagannath temple in the UK.
The report added that ₹70 crore of the ₹250 crore has been set aside to purchase nearly 15 acres of land for the ‘Shree Jagannatha Mandir’ in London.
“A suitable land has been identified and is currently in the final stages of purchase, and a pre-planning application has been submitted to the local government council to secure permission for the Mandir’s construction,” PTI quoted the charity in a statement.
According to chairperson of SJS, Dr Sahadev Swain, the temple has the potential to be the symbol of Jagannath culture in Europe and a pilgrim hotspot drawing in thousands of devotees and tourists from around the world.
Who is Biswanath Patnaik
Patnaik is the chairman and founder of FinNest Group of companies, which invests in renewables, electric vehicles (EVs), hydrogen locomotives, etc.
The banker-turned-businessman reportedly holds an MBA, LLB, and a BA in Economics.
After working in the banking space for several years, Patnaik stepped into entrepreneurship in 2009.
From healthcare, fintech, renewable energy to gold refinery and bullion trading in Dubai, Patnaik’s investments range across a diverse portfolio.
As per The New Indian Express, Patnaik recently shared plans to invest ₹500 crore in an EV-Hydrogen truck and commercial heavy vehicles manufacturing plant in Odisha.
He has reportedly come on the cover of Forbes magazine and is also a UNESCO donor.
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