Odisha vindicated as Suvendu Adhikari drops Mamata-era Digha 'Jagannath Dham' tag

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Tuesday that the word 'Dham' will be removed from the name of the state-funded Lord Jagannath temple and cultural complex in Digha, inaugurated by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in April last year. He said the premises will be renamed 'Sri Sri Jagannath Cultural Centre', while the temple inside the complex will be known as 'Sri Sri Jagannath Dev Mandir'.

Adhikari said the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra at the temple will be worshipped strictly according to prescribed norms and rituals.

He said the move followed a formal request from Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, which was conveyed to him by Puri MP Sambit Patra, who acted as Majhi's emissary.

Adhikari said he had recently spoken to ISKCON monks about the naming of the Jagannath temple complex in Digha and came to the view that it was not in line with the Sanatani culture and traditions of India.

Referring to his recent visit to the ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur in Nadia district, he said, "We will remove the word 'Dham' from the complex and worship the deities strictly in accordance with the prescribed sanatani norms." He added that the temple structure would henceforth be called 'Sri Sri Jagannath Dev Mandir'.

He also said the cabinet resolution and later tender notices issued by the former Mamata Banerjee government for construction of the premises had described the project as a 'cultural centre', with no mention of the word 'Dham'. According to Adhikari, this showed that the word was added later.

He said there had been debate over the term from the beginning and alleged that the previous government had hurt Sanatani sentiments by using it. He added that he had asked the chief secretary to issue the required notification and inform the trust that manages the premises about the change.

Reacting to the development, which came a month after the BJP took power in West Bengal, Majhi thanked Adhikari for what he described as a "prompt and tradition-loving step."

In a post on X, Majhi said the West Bengal government's decision would strengthen brotherhood and cultural harmony between the two neighbouring states while protecting Odia 'asmita' and the glory of Lord Jagannath. He also described Lord Jagannath as the "soul" of the entire world and the greatest symbol of India's cultural and spiritual identity.

Majhi also criticised the TMC, saying the previous West Bengal government had misused the name 'Jagannath Dham' for the Digha project because of its ignorance of Sanatani traditions.

Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, under whose department the Puri Jagannath temple functions, said, "There was an attempt to replicate Puri Dham to mislead people. Anyway, the matter is now settled. I appreciate the prompt decision of the West Bengal chief minister."

Patra said devotees of Lord Jagannath across the world, including 4.5 crore Odiyas, had been distressed by the naming of the Digha temple complex. He alleged that it reflected an approach of "toying with Hindu sentiments" by the previous TMC government.

He said, "As per the Sanatan Dharma, Adi Shankaracharya established the four sacred pilgrimage sites or Char Dham in Hinduism, of which the original Jagannath Temple in Puri is one. There is no provision in our ancient tradition to add to those sites."

At the same time, Patra welcomed the earlier Mamata Banerjee government's decision to build another place of worship dedicated to Lord Jagannath in Bengal.

The temple complex in Digha, conceived as an architectural homage to the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri and intended to be a near replica in scale and style, was inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee on April 30, 2025.

Spread over 20 acres in the coastal town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district, it was built at an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore from the state exchequer.

The complex has emerged as a major spiritual destination. According to figures shared by the managing trust, it recorded a footfall of more than 1.3 crore in its first year, with an average of about 50,000 visitors a day and higher numbers on weekends and festival days.

Beyond the dispute over the name, the inauguration of the Digha temple complex had also drawn controversy from sections of the servitor community linked to the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. They had issued formal directions barring their members from taking part in rituals at the Digha temple.

Odisha's opposition BJD said the developments, both past and present, were in accordance with the wishes of Lord Jagannath and that the credit belonged only to the deity, whom it called the master of the universe.

Odisha's ruling BJP, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration in Puri and servitors of the 12th-century shrine also thanked the West Bengal chief minister for deciding to remove 'Dham' from the Digha temple's name. With the change now announced, the Digha premises will be known as 'Sri Sri Jagannath Cultural Centre', and the temple within it as 'Sri Sri Jagannath Dev Mandir'.

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Inputs from PTI