BHUBANESWAR: Eminent sculptor and former Srimandir managing committee member Sudarsan Pattnaik on Friday sought Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s intervention into the controversy surrounding Jagannath temple at Digha.
In a letter to the chief minister, Pattnaik said the use of word Dham by the West Bengal government for the temple has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees across the world.
“According to sacred scriptures, there exists only one Jagannath Dham, which is located at Puri. Associating any other temple with the title ‘Jagannath Dham’ may lead to religious confusion and contradicts the long-standing spiritual and Hindu cultural traditions,” he wrote.
Pointing out that a few sevayats from Puri have reportedly claimed that ‘brahma’ has been established in the stone idol of Lord Jagannath at Digha temple, Pattnaik said the concept of ‘brahma’ in Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s idol is deeply sacred and unique aspect of Srimandir, tied to centuries of tradition and ritual secrecy.
Seeking an investigation, Pattnaik alleged that the findings of government inquiry into ‘Brahma Parivartan’ (soul transfer) delay in 2015 Nabakalebara is yet to be made public.