TV
During the Snana Yatra in Puri, Bengali devotees on Wednesday voiced strong disapproval of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s efforts to elevate Digha by naming its temple complex a 'Dham'.
The devotees accused her of undermining Puri’s sacred status for political gains.
Also Read: Digha temple is not ‘Jagannath Dham’: Puri Gajapati Maharaja
According to sources, amid the sacred festivities in the 12th-century shrine, visiting Bengali devotees have expressed outrage over Mamata Banerjee’s attempts to equate Digha with Puri by naming a local temple complex there as a ‘Dham’.
Speaking to local mediapersons, several pilgrims claimed that such moves are politically motivated and serve only to divert attention from the spiritual and historical significance of Puri. “Taking Digha’s name alongside Puri Dham is no less than an offense,” remarked one elderly devotee who travelled from Kolkata.
Puri Jagannath temple is among Char Dhams
They emphasised that Puri is not just one among the four Dhams (also known as Char Dham) of India, but the most revered among them. “You can’t create a Dham just by naming a place after it,” said another devotee to OTV.
The devotees also highlighted that Bengali pilgrims have always been warmly welcomed in Puri and never disrespected, contrary to any narrative that attempts to create division. According to them, every year, thousands of devotees from Bengal visit Puri to seek Lord Jagannath’s blessings, a tradition rooted in faith rather than politics.
“Trying to downplay Puri’s sanctity by giving Digha temple a similar title is misleading and hurts religious sentiments,” a woman pilgrim stated, adding that such decisions should be rooted in devotion, not politics.
“The Lord Jagannath (in Puri Dham) is our Patitapaban. HE is present here since the ‘Anadi Kaal’ (eternity). Even when ‘Pralay’ (catastrophic universal destruction) occurs, it does not occur in Jagannath Dham (the Vaishnavite temple in Puri),” another pilgrim said.
“Building a temple anywhere does not make it a Dham. I want to tell the devotees from Bengal that they all should come to Puri Jagannath Dham. Since the days of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, no Bengali tourist has ever been disrespected in Puri town. That is why lakhs of devotees come to Puri every year,” the pilgrim added.
