The Patnaik brothers along with Prem's son Arun came down here and completed the formalities of the gift deed at the office of the district collector here dedicating the double-storied 22-room building spread over an area of 22 gunth (less than one acre) of land.
The hundred-year-old building was built by Naveen's grandfather Laxminarayan Patnaik, was a munsif and went on to become Dewan of Paralakhemundi.
"My brother and I have gifted our ancestral property in Cuttack today to the people of our state. This will be used as a place of learning and also museum and a library. This has been given as a tribute to the people of our state because of the deep love and affection they have always held Biju Babu, who used to live in this property," Naveen told reporters on the day after completing the transfer formalities.
"I hope it (Anand Bhawan) will be a place of education and place of learning. I hope it was something my father Biju Babu would have wanted," he said.
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Talks about gifting the ancestral property of Biju Patnaik for a museum began way back in 2006 when the then culture minister Damodar Rout in a public meeting on the occasion of 109th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Bose suggested about it in presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Naveen had then said the culture minister's request would energise and encourage his family members to take a quick decision adding Biju Babu was a lively personality and had always thought to convert Anand Bhawan to a museum and research library.