Row over 'Jagannath Dham' at Digha deepens, Odisha govt orders probe

The state govt’s move came 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.

Bhubaneswar: Amid a row over the West Bengal government's portrayal of the newly inaugurated Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham' and alleged use of surplus Puri shrine’s wood in the construction of idols there, Odisha’s Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Friday asked the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to inquire into the matter.

The state government’s move came 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.

'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.

This apart, a section of priests, devotees, scholars and pundits demanded the removal of the ''Jagannath Dham'' label from the Digha temple.

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.

An accusing finger is being pointed at Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, 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.

To a question, Dasmohapatra said, "I, too, request the West Bengal CM to remove the word ‘Dham’ from the Digha Jagannath Temple. I also urge the Odisha government and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration to initiate talks on the matter." He said that according to his knowledge, Puri is the only place referred to as 'Jagannath Dham'.

He said that he would write to Mamata Banerjee in this regard.

On the controversy over 'Brahma' placed on the idol in the Digha temple, the servitor said, "I have not installed any such material on the idol. I monitored the prescribed procedures during the puja." Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is aware of the development, but urged everyone to "not jump the gun".

"I know there are four Shankaracharyas in four Dhams. I have limited knowledge and am not as wise as her (Banerjee). I know there are four Dhams in India. Let her justify why she called the Digha temple a ‘Dham’," he said.

There can be several Jagannath temples in the country, but Puri is the only Jagannath ‘Dham’, the deputy CM asserted.

The issue gradually snowballed into a major controversy after many Hindu priests, researchers, servitors and scholars rejected calling the Digha Jagannath Temple a ‘Dham’.

Renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has sought clarification from the West Bengal chief minister.

He accused Banerjee of hurting the religious sentiments of crores of Lord Jagannath devotees across the globe and requested her to tender an apology.

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