Digha temple should not be called 'Jagannath Dham': Puri Chief Servitor speaks up on West Bengal’s claims

A growing controversy surrounding the naming of the newly built Jagannath temple in West Bengal’s Digha has drawn sharp criticism from Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, the Badagrahi (chief servitor) of Lord Jagannath in Puri. The senior servitor has publicly stated that referring to Digha's temple as ‘Jagannath Dham' is inappropriate and misleading.

He asserted, in an interaction with the press, that only Shreekhetra (Puri) is the true Jagannath Dham and no other place should be called so. In his statements, he also added that while temples dedicated to Lord Jagannath exist across the globe, the spiritual sanctity and rituals of Puri’s Srimandir cannot be replicated elsewhere, stating that there is no provision for Brahma Sthapana (establishment of the divine essence) outside the Puri Srimandir.

On the Use of ‘Daru’ in Digha Idol

The chief servitor also responded to reports stating that the idol in Digha was crafted from daru (sacred wood) used in the Nabakalebara (ritual replacement of idols). Mohapatra dismissed the claim and clarified that during Nabakalebara, the old sacred wood is ritualistically dismantled and burnt. “Whatever remains is used only for internal temple rituals when needed, not for new idols elsewhere,” he explained.

ALSO READ: Do we need to worry about the Jagannath Temple in Digha?

On Not Attending The Digha Inauguration Ceremony

Swain Mohapatra also made it clear that he chose not to attend the consecration ceremony at the Digha temple. “I was invited, but I chose not to attend,” he said, distancing himself from the temple’s inauguration festivities.

ALSO READ: Row over use of ‘Jagannath Dham’ for new Digha temple: Puri Chhatisa Nijog seeks legal action

The statements come at a time when an intense debate rages in the state over the growing trend of replicating Jagannath temples outside Odisha and branding them as ‘Jagannath Dham.’ 

While the remarks from the chief servitor of Puri's temple have added weight to calls for preserving the unique identity and traditions of the original Jagannath Temple in Puri, sentiments across Odisha were hurt following the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government’s controversial move to label the Digha Jagannath temple as ‘Jagannath Dham’.