BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday wrote to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee requesting her to reconsider the use of Jagannath Dham for the newly-inaugurated temple at Digha.
Expressing deep concern over naming of the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham, Majhi said Shree Jagannath temple at Puri is one of the ‘Char Dhams’ of Hinduism and holds unparalleled religious, spiritual and cultural significance, not just for people of Odisha but also millions of devotees across the country and world.
“The name ‘Jagannath Dham’ holds a unique and sacrosant identity linked to Puri, and its usage in reference to any other temple or location hurts sentiments and emotions of millions of pilgrims besides diluting heritage of Shree Jagannath Dham, Puri,” he wrote.
The CM said while Odisha acknowledges the devotion of the people of West Bengal towards Lord Jagannath, the use of Dham in official and promotional context for the Digha temple is likely to cause confusion among devotees, dilute the historical identity of Puri as the original and revered abode of the Lord.
Majhi requested the government of West Bengal to reconsider the usage of Jagannath Dham in its official naming, communication and promotional materials. “I sincerely hope the government of West Bengal will uphold the spirit of inter-state respect and cultural sensitivity in this matter and take necessary steps to address our concerns,” Majhi wrote.
On the other hand, even as Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth in Puri Swami Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj is yet to react to the controversy, his counterpart in Jyotirmath at Uttarakhand Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said only Puri Jagannath temple can be called a Dham. Avimukteshwaranand on Tuesday said a Dham can only be in one place and it is not right to call Digha temple as such.
Meanwhile, within hours of BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya claiming that the Jagannath Dham signage has been removed from Digha due to protests, the temple authorities have reinstalled a new permanent signage at the same spot. Purba Medinipur Police in West Bengal called the signage removal claims as ‘false propaganda by people with vested interests’.
This comes a day after state Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said Odisha government will explore legal options if West Bengal does not drop the word. Puri king Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb also urged Digha temple authorities not to associate Dham with it.