'This is a crime': Puri Jagannath temple chief servitor slams Mamata govt over Digha temple

NEW DELHI: Chief servitor of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Daitapati Bhabani Das Mohapatra on Sunday, has strongly denounced the West Bengal government for tagging the newly built Jagannath temple in Digha as " Jagannath Dham ." He called it as a “political stunt,” a “crime by Mamata Banerjee ,” and a distortion of religious tradition .

Speaking to ANI, Mohapatra said the move was deeply hurtful to the Daitapati community and violated sacred texts, which recognise only four dhams - Rameshwaram, Badrinath, Dwarka, and Jagannath Dham in Puri.

"They cannot name like this. Dham is only Jagannath Dham. Any place apart from our chaardham cannot be named as dham. This is a crime of Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee," he said.

He added that the decision was taken "out of arrogance" without consulting religious authorities. “They know they will not win in Bengal this time,” he said, labelling the move as politically motivated.

Padma Shri awardee and renowned sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik also opposed the Bengal government's announcement, saying it misleads devotees and hurts religious sentiments. "It is a good thing that a temple of Lord Jagannath is built in Digha. But calling it Jagannath Dham is absolutely wrong," he said.

BJP MP from Puri, Sambit Patra, echoed the concerns, saying, “There is only one Jagannath Dham in the world, and it is in Puri.” He urged for clarity from the temple administration on the issue and said no other place could claim the same sanctity.

The Rs 250-crore Jagannath temple in Digha, spread across 20 acres and inspired by the 12th-century shrine in Puri, was inaugurated by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee last week.