Explained | From 'Dham' tag, to use of leftover wood in idol making, all about the Digha temple controversy

The issues around the 'Dham' tag given to the newly inaugurated Digha temple, and the material used for it have snowballed into an inter-state controversy.

A section of devotees of Lord Jagannath in Odisha has taken umbrage over the West Bengal government's portrayal of the newly inaugurated Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham'. Meanwhile, there has also been a row surrounding the material used to make the idol in the temple in West Bengal. Both these issues have snowballed into a controversy involving devotees, priests, artists, and politicians.

Before we break down the details of the conflict, it is noteworthy that at present, there are four Dhams (meaning seat/abode of God) scattered across India, namely: Badrinath in the north, Rameswaram in the south, Puri in the east and Dwarka in the west.

'Jagannath Dham' label given to Digha temple

A strong resentment is brewing among devotees of Lord Jagannath in Odisha over the West Bengal government's portrayal of the newly inaugurated Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham'.

While many Hindu pundits, researchers, servitors, and scholars have rejected the naming of the Digha Jagannath Temple as a "Dham," renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has sought a clarification from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

He accused Banerjee of hurting the religious sentiments of crores of Lord Jagannath devotees across the globe.

Pattnaik also pointed out that a newspaper advertisement from the West Bengal government also referred to it as "Jagannath Dham, Digha."

While most critics welcomed the establishment of the temple in Digha, they strongly opposed linking the term "Dham" with it.

What we know about the Digha temple using leftover wood from Nabakalebara ceremony

Along with the controversy about the usage of 'Dham' for the Digha temple, reports alleging the usage of surplus Puri shrine’s wood in the construction of idols have also emerged, leading to Odisha’s Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan asking Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to inquire into the matter.

This comes after local media reported that some Puri servitors had attended the consecration ceremony at Digha temple and used leftover 'neem' wood from the 2015 'Nabakalebara' (new form) to make the idols for the shrine in neighbouring West Bengal.

An accusing finger is being pointed at Ramakrushna Das Mohapatra, the secretary of 'Daitapati Nijog', a group of servitors who serve the Lord during Rath Yatra. He rejected the charge.

"I had attended the consecration ceremony at Digha temple following an invitation from my disciple Mamata Banerjee. I have monitored the entire procedure. But I never said that the wood from the Puri temple was used for idol making at Digha," Dasmohapatra said.

Addressing a press conference at Puri, Dasmohapatra admitted that he had taken wooden idols from Puri, but not used the leftover 'neem' wood of Puri temple.

"I have also not talked about it to any television channel in the Bengali language. I have also not told anything regarding the installation of Brahma," he clarified.

'Brahma' is a material considered to be the soul of Lord Jagannath, which is transferred from the old idol to a new one during the Nabakalebara ritual.

Local television channels showed Dasmohapatra speaking to a Bengali news channel that he had used leftover neem wood from the 2015 Nabakalebara to make the idols at the Digha temple.

"I have not told such things to any television channels," he claimed.

Dasmohapatra, however, said that he had told the authorities of Digha Temple that the stone idols of Lord Jagannath could not be worshipped. "Thereafter, I took these idols made from neem wood, each within the height of 3 feet, from here for the consecration ceremony," he said.

Meanwhile, renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik highlighted reports that a few ‘sevayats’ (servitors) from the Puri temple, who participated in the Digha temple’s inauguration, have claimed that ‘Brahma’ has been installed on the stone idol of Lord Jagannath.

What is Nabakalebara ritual?

'Nabakalebara' is a ritual held every 12 or 19 years, during which the wooden bodies of idols - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath - are changed at the Puri temple.

Odisha govt orders probe

Meanwhile, Odisha’s Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Friday asked the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to inquire into the matter. Keeping in view the statewide outrage over the twin issues, Harichandan wrote a letter to SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee and asked him to conduct an internal investigation into the entire incident and make arrangements to bring the truth to the public.

If anyone is found guilty in this incident or is knowingly causing such an incident, the temple's chief administrator may take steps to punish them with the permission of the state government," the minister said in the letter.

The minister also noted that conflicting information has been making rounds in all media outlets for the past few days regarding the temple of Lord Jagannath and its century-old tradition and culture.

"The discussions are held on naming a temple at Digha as 'Jagannath Dham', some Puri servitors joining the inaugural session of the Digha temple and idols being made from leftover and surplus wood of Puri’s Nabakalebar festival and others, are completely unacceptable," the minister's letter read.

Harichandan said that the recent incidents have hurt the religious sentiments of devotees and the 4.5 crore people of Odisha.

(With PTI inputs)