The UK charity raising funds to build Britain’s first dedicated Jagannath Temple has received a pledge of £25 million 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 Sunday. Arun Kar, MD of FinNest, is also a principal donor.
Plans for the temple are speeding ahead with £7 million of the £25 million to be spent on acquiring nearly 15 acres of suitable land in the outskirts of London. A pre-planning application has been submitted to the local council. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
The Shree Jagannatha Society UK was set up three years ago on the same auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya and registered with the Charity Commission.
