Digha temple row: Internal probe begins, political war of words escalates

Bhubaneswar: Amid controversy over naming of a newly-built temple in West Bengal's Digha as ‘Jagannath Dham', the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee Saturday met various sevayats (servitors) to investigate possible violations, including reports of surplus wood from Puri being used for idol-making at the Digha temple.

"An internal inquiry process has commenced, and results will be available soon," said law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan. "If any disrespect to our culture is found, appropriate action will be taken," the minister said and criticised the ‘dham' designation, stating, "There are four dhams across the country, and Jagannath Dham in Puri holds significant importance among them." The other three dhams are Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameshwaram.

Deputy CM Pravati Parida criticised West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee without taking her name, said, "It's not a CM's responsibility to create a dham or place for Sankaracharya. There are established traditions in Hindu culture. Whoever has tampered with this has to face the consequences," she said.

Puri MP Sambit Patra also objected to the naming of the Digha temple. "No other place can be called Jagannath Dham. Purushottam Kshetra and Shri Kshetra are exclusively in Puri, where the Lord himself resides," Patra said.

Former Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik and sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik also urged the WB CM to correct the nomenclature and not refer to it as a dham.

However, All India Trinamool Congress spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar defended the temple and questioned the BJP's stance: "Being a ‘Hinduvadi' party, one of their members is raising questions about a Hindu temple. That is the fallacy," he told PTI.

The SJTA chief will continue hearing more servitors on Sunday as the investigation proceeds, according to temple sources. The temple administration on Saturday asked heads of all servitor groups to convey their opinion, if any, on the confusing reports about the temple at Digha in writing by Sunday evening.

The AITC, in its official X handle, posted a video clip of the temple and wrote, "Digha's Jagannath Temple stands as a serene yet powerful symbol of spiritual heritage. It's towering presence invites every soul to pause, reflect, and revere. Come witness beauty woven in faith!"