Odisha: Devotees demand removal of 'Jagannath Dham' label from Digha temple

Bhubaneswar: A section of devotees of Lord Jagannath in Odisha has taken umbrage over the West Bengal government's portrayal of the newly inaugurated Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham', with at least two former members of the 12th-century Puri shrine's managing committee demanding the withdrawal of what they call a "self-styled" title.

While many Hindu priests, researchers, servitors and scholars have rejected the naming of Digha’s Jagannath Temple as a ‘Dham’, renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has sought a clarification from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

He accused Banerjee of hurting the religious sentiments of crores of Lord Jagannath devotees across the globe.

After the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple in Digha on Wednesday, Banerjee had referred to it as a ‘Dham’.

While most critics welcomed the establishment of the temple in Digha, they strongly opposed linking the term ‘Dham’ with it.

In a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the Padma awardee said, "This statement has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees worldwide. According to our scared scripture, there exists only one ‘Jagannath Dham’, which is located in Puri. Associating any other temple with the title may lead to confusion and contradicts long-standing spiritual and Hindu cultural tradition."

The sand artist urged Majhi to intervene in the matter, engage with his West Bengal counterpart, and take appropriate action.

Pattnaik also highlighted reports that a few ‘sevayats’ (servitors) from the Puri temple, who participated in the Digha temple’s inauguration, have claimed that ‘Brahma’ has been installed in the stone idol of Lord Jagannath.

"This claim is highly sensitive, as the concept of ‘Brahma’ in the idol of Mahaprabhu Jagannath is a sacred and unique feature of the original temple in Puri, rooted in centuries of tradition and ritual secrecy," he asserted.

Pattnaik, who shared a copy of his letter with Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, requested a thorough investigation by the state government, particularly to clarify the use of the term ‘Brahma’ and the title ‘Jagannath Dham’.

Speaking to PTI, Pattnaik said, "I request the West Bengal chief minister to tender an apology to millions of Lord Jagannath devotees for projecting the temple at Digha as a 'Dham'."

Another former member of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, Madhab Mohapatra, appealed to Banerjee to refrain from making what he termed a "false claim".

"This appears to be part of an evil conspiracy against Jagannath Dham and Sanatan Dharma," he alleged.

Noting that Adi Shankaracharya had accorded the status of ‘Dham’ to Lord Jagannath’s Puri ‘peeth’, a senior servitor Ramachandra Dasmohapatra said, "How can Digha become a ‘Dham’? All seas are not ‘Mahodadhi’ or all places of Jagannath Temple across the world are not ‘Dham’. Please do not mislead the people."

Shree Jagannath Sena convener Priyadarshan Pattnaik also came down heavily on Banerjee and urged her to stop “misleading” the people of Bengal.

"Mamata didi should not mislead Bengalis. Bengali people know what is what and it is difficult to mislead them," he added.