Digha ‘Dham’ row resufaces on Rath Yatra day: Puri servitor blames Mamata’s ‘arrogance,’ praises Suvendu

The controversy surrounding the use of the word “Dham” for the Jagannath temple in Digha resurfaced on Rath Yatra, as Puri Jagannath Temple’s chief Panigrahi, Jagannath Daitapati, alleging that former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ignored repeated religious advice.

Speaking to a television news channel, Daitapati said he had no political affiliation and was expressing only what he believed to be legally and religiously correct. Referring to the Digha temple, he said that despite his objections, the word “Dham” was retained in its name.

Advertisement

“I do not engage in politics. I only speak on what is legally and religiously correct. Mamata Banerjee did not listen to my advice. They wrote ‘Dham’ at Digha and installed a stone idol. What is the purpose of calling it a Dham? Puri alone is Jagannath Dham. Thousands of Jagannath temples exist across the country, but that does not make them Dhams,” Daitapati said.

He further remarked that “the Lord does not tolerate arrogance,” adding that this was the reason “the government did not survive,” in an apparent reference to the political change in West Bengal.

Daitapati also praised Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, claiming that he acted promptly to remove the word “Dham” from the Digha temple’s name. “Suvendu is also my disciple. He immediately removed the word ‘Dham’,” he said.

The remarks come amid a long-running controversy over the naming of the Digha Jagannath temple. Several religious scholars and servitors associated with the Puri shrine had earlier objected to the use of the word “Dham”, maintaining that the title is traditionally associated only with the Jagannath Temple in Puri, one of Hinduism’s four sacred Dhams.

Earlier, Puri’s chief priest Rajesh Daitapati, who served as the founding priest during the consecration ceremonies at the Digha temple, had also criticised certain decisions taken during the temple’s establishment. Rajesh Daitapati had claimed that he had advised the authorities against installing a stone idol for the consecration, stating that the traditional “pran pratishtha” ritual could not be performed on such an idol in accordance with established religious practices. He also said he had recommended dropping the word “Dham” from the temple’s name, but his suggestions were not accepted.

The fresh remarks by Jagannath Daitapati on Rath Yatra have once again revived the debate over the religious identity and nomenclature of the Digha Jagannath temple, an issue that has remained politically and religiously sensitive since its inauguration.