Odisha’s Majhi writes to Mamata, says don’t call new temple ‘Jagannath Dham’

Majhi asked Bengal to avoid using ‘Jagannath Dham’ in official documents, communications, or promotional materials for the Digha temple.

Published on: May 6, 2025, 22:49:24 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday asked the West Bengal government to call the newly built Jagannath temple in East Midnapore Digha’s town by a different name, insisting that calling the new temple ‘Jagannath Dham’ was wrong and hurt the sentiments of devotees.

An illuminated view of the Digha Jagannath Temple ahead of its inauguration on Apr 30 in East Medinipur district. (ANI)

In a letter to Mamata Banerjee, Majhi asked Bengal to avoid using ‘Jagannath Dham’ in official documents, communications, or promotional materials for the Digha temple.

Majhi said the Shree Jagannath Dham in Puri held a special importance for Hindus and holds profound religious, spiritual, and cultural importance — not only for the people of Odisha, but also for millions of devotees across the nation and beyond.

“The name ‘Jagannath Dham’ is uniquely and sacredly associated with Puri,” Majhi said in his letter.

“Using it in reference to any other temple or location hurts the sentiments of millions of pilgrims and devotees, while also diluting the distinct heritage and identity of Shree Jagannath Dham, Puri,” he said, stressing that it could also create confusion among devotees and erode Puri’s historical and spiritual identity as the original abode of Lord Jagannath.

Such a move also hurts the religious sentiments of the people of Odisha.

Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has also said the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ was exclusively associated with the Puri temple. “God is omniscient and Lord Jagannath can be worshipped at any place. The Lord’s idols can be installed and worshipped in Bengal but it is inappropriate to call it ‘Dham’ and should therefore be removed from it,” he said.

Mamata has framed the controversy as an overreaction, questioning the outrage over building a Jagannath temple in West Bengal.

“Why are they so angry just because we have built a Jagannath temple in Digha? Is it a crime to worship Lord Jagannath in West Bengal?” she said, responding to howls of protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bengal and Odisha over the new temple in Digha.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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