Team Blitz India
LONDON: The UK charity raising funds to build Britain’s first dedicated Jagannath Temple has received a pledge of £25 million (Rs 250 crore) towards temple construction from an Odia entrepreneur.
This is one of the largest philanthropic donations given to a temple outside India. Billionaire Biswanath Patnaik, Chairman and Founder of the FinNest Group of Companies, an early-stage private equity investment firm that invests in renewables, announced his pledge to the Shree Jagannatha Society UK (SJSUK) during the UK’s first-ever Jagannath Convention held on Akshaya Trithiya on April 23. Arun Kar, MD of FinNest, is also a principal donor.
Plans for the temple are speeding ahead with £7 million (Rs 70 crore) of the £25 million to be spent on acquiring nearly 15 acres of land in the outskirts of London. A pre-planning application has been submitted to the local council. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
Over 600 devotees from across the UK and Ireland registered for the convention, the first of its kind in Europe. Dignitaries included Indian Deputy High Commissioner Sujit Ghosh and Amish Tripathi, author and minister (culture and education) at Indian High Commission.
