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The Odisha government has launched a large-scale initiative to identify, reclaim and settle over 60,426 acres of land belonging to the Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri, spread across Odisha and six other states. The exercise aims to recover temple land under encroachment or involved in long-pending legal disputes while creating a comprehensive digital record of temple-owned properties. Of the total land identified, around 395 acres are located outside Odisha. The state government plans to work with authorities in other states to protect and recover these properties. The initiative is expected to strengthen land administration, improve transparency in temple asset management and safeguard one of India's largest religious landholdings for future generations.
The Odisha government has initiated an extensive exercise to reclaim and regularise land belonging to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, identifying more than 60,426 acres of temple-owned land across Odisha and six other states. The initiative is aimed at recovering encroached properties, resolving long-pending land disputes and strengthening the management of one of the country's largest religious land banks.
According to the state government, the identified land portfolio includes approximately 395 acres located outside Odisha, requiring coordination with other state governments for verification, protection and recovery. The exercise will involve updating land records, verifying ownership and ensuring that temple properties are safeguarded against illegal occupation and unauthorised transfers.
Officials said the initiative is intended to create a comprehensive and transparent database of all land assets owned by the Jagannath Temple. Digital mapping, modern land record management systems and legal verification are expected to play a key role in identifying encroachments and streamlining property administration. The exercise also seeks to improve the utilisation and protection of temple assets while ensuring compliance with existing legal provisions governing religious endowments.
The government has indicated that the land recovery programme will focus on resolving cases where temple land has remained under encroachment or has been tied up in legal disputes for several years. Authorities will undertake detailed scrutiny of land records before initiating action in accordance with applicable laws and judicial procedures.
The Shree Jagannath Temple possesses one of the largest portfolios of religious land assets in India, spread across multiple districts within Odisha and in neighbouring states. Effective management of these properties has long been regarded as essential for supporting the temple's administration, religious activities and associated charitable functions.
The latest initiative reflects the state's broader efforts to modernise land administration and improve governance of religious institutions through technology-driven record management. By securing ownership records and reclaiming illegally occupied land, the government aims to preserve the temple's assets while enhancing transparency and accountability in their administration.
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