TV
The administration of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri has swung into action following a growing controversy surrounding the construction of a new temple in Digha, West Bengal, reportedly featuring a wooden idol of Lord Jagannath and branding the site as “Jagannath Dham.” The incident has sparked outrage among the servitor community and raised serious concerns over religious protocols, traditional norms, and unauthorized use of sacred associations of the Puri Jagannath temple.
According to official sources, the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Arabinda Padhee, initiated a series of high-level consultations to address the issue on Saturday. Notices have already been served to several key individuals, including Ramakrushna Das Mahapatra, the secretary of the Daitapati Nijog, seeking clarification regarding his presence and role, if any, in the Digha event.
In a significant move, the SJTA chief administrator held meetings with important temple functionaries—namely, the three Badagrahis (chief servitors) of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, Chhatisa Nijog, and the chief Maharana responsible for deities' construction. These discussions focused on verifying the authenticity of the event in Digha and exploring possible breaches of the religious code and heritage protection laws.
Janardhan Pattajoshi Mahapatra has strongly condemned the developments in Digha, particularly the reported construction of a wooden idol of Lord Jagannath using ‘Balaka’ wood (surplus sacred neem wood used during Nabakalebara rituals at Puri Jagannath temple), without sanction from Puri Srimandir. He has advised the administration to pursue legal options and has suggested that the Odisha government request the West Bengal government to halt or reconsider such actions that could mislead devotees and distort Jagannath traditions.
He also emphasized that crafting idols of Lord Jagannath outside the prescribed and sacred rituals of Nabakalebara, and outside the bounds of Srimandir’s authority, is wholly inappropriate and unacceptable.
