TV
A fresh controversy has erupted over the wood used for the construction of idols of Lord Jagannath and His siblings at the newly inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha, West Bengal.
Ramakrushna Das Mahapatra, a senior Daitapati servitor of the Puri Srimandir, has stirred the controversy after giving contradicting statements on the wood used for the construction of the idols of the Holy Trinity installed at the Jagannath Temple in Digha.
Interview with Bengali Channel:
Mahapatra previously made statements on a Bengali television channel, revealing that he was the one who made and brought the idols to Digha from Odisha.
Before the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple in Digha, Mahapatra had stated, “I made Prabhu Jagannath’s idol and brought it here. ‘Nabakalebara’ is conducted every 12 to 19 years. I get the dreams of ‘Darubrahma’. I collect the sacred woods and use them in the making of the idols of the Holy Trinity. The remainder is stored in the temple.”
“So when Mamata Banerjee told me about the temple, and that a stone statue would be installed here, I requested her to installation of idols made of wood. Then, she advised me to build it,” Mahapatra had stated.
Contradicting Statements & Concerns:
Meanwhile, he has now contradicted his own statements and claimed he had not used the remainder of the sacred wood used during the 'Nabakalebara' ritual for the construction of Lord Jagannath’s idol.
Upon returning to Puri, Mahapatra told the media misrepresented his earlier remarks. He emphasised that 'Brahma' exists only within the Puri Jagannath temple.
