Law Minister Clarifies No Surplus Daru Used in Digha Jagannath Idols, Plans SOPs to Protect Ritual Sanctity

Law Minister Clarifies No Surplus Daru Used in Digha Jagannath Idols, Plans SOPs to Protect Ritual Sanctity

State Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan has clarified that no surplus Daru was used in the construction of the idols of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra at a temple in Digha, West Bengal.

Following the submission of an inquiry report by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday, Harichandan addressed the media, stating that the idols were carved from neem wood by Bhubaneswar-based sculptor Sudarshan Maharana. He emphasized that the wood used was not Daru from the Srimandir rituals, countering earlier claims made by Daitapati Nijog secretary Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra to some news channels in West Bengal.

“It is now clear that the statements given by Dasmohapatra were complete lies. These statements had hurt the religious sentiments of all Jagannath devotees,” he said.

A team of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) officials, including Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee and Law Secretary Manas Ranjan Barik, questioned Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra and several other Srimandir servitors such as the Maharana sevayats over the past three days regarding the controversy. The SJTA has issued a notice to Dasmohapatra, seeking a written explanation within seven days for his misleading statements. If his response is deemed unsatisfactory, the temple administration will initiate action against him under the provisions of the Temple Act.

State Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan stated that Dasmohapatra has retracted his claim, calling it a slip of the tongue with no deliberate intent to mislead. Furthermore, the Maharana sevayats clarified that it is technically unfeasible to carve three 2.5-foot idols from the leftover Daru used in the Nabakalebara rituals.

Harichandan pointed out a mistake committed by the then state government in 1995-96 as far as keeping the surplus Daru in Srimandir’s Daru Ghara. The wood is to be kept in the Daru Ghara (near Suar Mahasuara Ghara) under lock and key but due to a wrong decision taken by the then government, some of it was kept in Daitapati Nijog Ghara after Nabakalebara. “We have now decided to form a five-member committee to count and examine the wood in Daitapati Nijog Ghara and all of it will be brought back to the Daru Ghara and kept under safe custody,” he said.

Following the detailed inquiry, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has submitted a set of recommendations to the government, which will be reviewed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The minister stated that while Jagannath temples can be established anywhere, there must be uniformity in the performance of rituals associated with Lord Jagannath.

To maintain this sanctity and consistency, the SJTA will soon release a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlining the prescribed rituals to be followed by all Jagannath temples. The SOP will be developed in consultation with the Mukti Mandap, the apex body of religious scholars in Srimandir and the Chhatisha Nijog, which represents various temple servitor groups.

Harichandan also announced that a new SOP will be introduced to regulate the participation of Srimandir servitors in rituals outside the Puri temple. "Srimandir sevayats are only responsible for their duties towards Mahaprabhu Lord Jagannath and His Siblings in the shrine. Their participation in rituals at other Jagannath temples is not acceptable and there is no provision in temple law that allows them to do so," he added. The state also plans to restrict servitors from making careless statements to the media about Lord Jagannath's rituals and festivals

While the West Bengal government has removed the 'Jagannath Dham' signage from the Digha temple, the term is still being used on the temple's website and social media pages.

The use of terms such as 'Dham' for the Digha temple and 'Mahodadhi' for the sea has sparked strong objections in Odisha. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the state government will formally request West Bengal to avoid using these sacred terms. "If the West Bengal government does not pay heed to our request, we will take the help of the law," he stated.