Amarinder writes to Naveen Patnaik against decision to demolish Mangu Mutt in Puri

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh wrote to Odisha's Naveen Patnaik on Saturday, urging to retract his government's decision to demolish the Mangu Mutt in Puri, which is associated with Sikhism founder Guru Nanak.

Amarinder described as unfortunate the move to demolish the Mutt, which has age-old significance for the Sikh community as Guru Nanak Dev visited the holy site to spread his message of the oneness of God.

"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," said Amarinder in a statement.

The Mutt is among many structures within 75 metre radius of the Jagannath temple that are being demolished to ensure safety and security of the 12th century shrine, following a decision of the Odisha government led by Patnaik.

Opposing the move, several ...