Controversy Erupts Over Digha Jagannath Temple: Puri Servitors Reject 'Dham' Tag

Controversy Erupts Over Digha Jagannath Temple: Puri Servitors Reject 'Dham' Tag

Senior Daitapati servitor of the Puri Jagannath Temple, Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, issued a clarification regarding the controversy surrounding the naming of the Jagannath temple at Digha in West Bengal as Digha Jagannath Dham.

Talking to the media persons, he stated that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is his disciple and she had invited him to the consecration ceremony of the temple. However, he emphasised that Puri is the only place for Brahmasthapan (installation of the divine essence), and he never mentioned establishing Brahma elsewhere.

“Jagannath Dham refers only to Puri. The rituals of the Srimandir cannot be performed anywhere else. There is no mention of Brahmasthapan anywhere”, said the senior servitor, refuting the comments made in the national media.

The Jagannath Dham temple complex in Digha, inspired by Puri’s 12th-century Jagannath Temple, spans 24 acres and costs nearly ₹250 crore. Located about 350 km from Puri, it is built with over 3 lakh cubic feet of Bansi Paharpur pink sandstone and is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra, and Goddess Mahalaxmi. Announced in 2019, construction began in May 2022 under the supervision of the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation.

Banerjee extended an invitation to Puri servitors to attend the ceremony and has also invited Chunara sevayat to tie the flag on the temple. However, Niyog has declined the invitation and imposed restrictions on its members, warning that any member who participates in the flag-tying rituals in Digha will be banned from service. Servitor groups like the Suar Mahasuar Nijog, responsible for preparing bhog at the Puri temple, and the Puspalaka Nijog, which dresses the deities, have issued similar notices for members. They also warned that selling prasad under the name "Mahaprasad" outside Puri would undermine its sanctity.

Puri servitors emphasized that the Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri is sacred and irreplaceable, stating no replica can match its spiritual status. They also reportedly urged the West Bengal government to restrict temple entry to Hindus to maintain its sanctity. However, Radharaman Das, vice president of ISKCON, told Indian Express that non-Hindus and foreigners would be allowed to enter the Digha shrine. This is a break from the unexplained practice of allowing only Hindus in Puri temple.

The consecration ceremony was attended by a senior servitor of the Puri Temple, Daitapati Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, and servitors from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The Bengal government’s advertisements for the Digha temple used the term “Dham” and featured the Nilachakra image, drawing criticism. Daitapati Dasmohapatra clearly mentioned that there are only four Dhams in Hinduism, Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. He also said the Digha temple idols are made of stone which cannot be used for Lord Jagannath. The idols of Lord Jagannath in Puri are made of wood, specifically neem wood.

A large chunk of visitors to Odisha comes from West Bengal. According to Odisha government’s Statistical Bulletin 2023, of the 97.25 lakh domestic tourists who visited the state that year, the largest number, 13.59 lakh, or almost 14%, were from Bengal.

BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly, launched a four-day Hindu religious conference at Kanthi town. “Mamata Banerjee is passing off a cultural centre as a temple. People are having fish and meat out there and walking around in shoes. She is a fake Hindu,” Adhikari told the media.