New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday responded sharply to the controversy over the recently inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha, questioning the outrage over its nomenclature and consecration. Talking to reporters in Howrah, Banerjee said, “We respect the temple in Puri and we also respect Jagannath Dham. Kaali temples and Gurdwaras are everywhere across the country. Temples exist in all places… Why is there so much anger on this issue?”
Her comments came amid a deepening row between Odisha and West Bengal, after the Odisha government announced plans to formally request that the Bengal government desist from branding the Digha temple as “Jagannath Dham” — a title traditionally reserved for the revered 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri.
An escalating controversy
Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan confirmed that chief minister Mohan Majhi would be writing to Banerjee shortly. “This title is reserved for Puri, which is home to the main Jagannath temple. Action will be taken against those responsible if found guilty of illegally using sacred timber from the Puri temple to build the idols of the Digha Jagannath temple,” a Times of India article quoted Harichandan as saying.
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The controversy escalated after claims by senior Puri servitor Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, who asserted that he had used leftover neem wood from Puri’s 2015 Nabakalebara rituals to craft the idols for the Digha temple. Dasmohapatra, secretary of the ‘Daitapati Nijog’ — a group of servitors considered bodyguards of Lord Jagannath — was questioned for over 90 minutes on Sunday by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) of Puri. The probe is aimed at verifying whether sacred timber from the Puri temple’s Daru Gruha (wood storehouse) was indeed used without authorisation.
While some craftsmen have dismissed the claims, saying that surplus wood from the 2015 rituals was too small (between 3 and 10 inches) to create full-sized idols, the controversy has stirred political waters in both the states. Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik termed the matter “a grave concern”, urging the Odisha government to act on an urgent basis to protect Odia religious heritage and sentiments.
Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) also criticised the current state administration for “delayed action”.
BJP, TMC on offensive
The BJP, both in Odisha and West Bengal, has countered the opposition’s criticism. Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari accused the West Bengal government of misleading devotees by promoting the project alternately as a “Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre” and a “Jagannath Temple”. “This is a direct affront to the ethics and morality surrounding Jagannath culture and centuries-long traditions,” Adhikari wrote in an X post.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), meanwhile, has staunchly defended the consecration of the Digha temple. TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar hit back at the BJP, saying, “If they question the establishment of a Hindu temple, this shows their desperation. On one hand, BJP claims to be a Hindutva party; on the other, they are raising questions on the pratishtha (sanctity) of the temple. If there is any question, it should be asked by the four Shankaracharyas.”
The SJTA has issued notices to all servitor unions of the Puri temple, seeking their opinion on the matter. At least two police complaints have also been filed in Puri, alleging theft of sacred wood from the Daru Gruha.
