Puri: Sand artist and former Jagannath Temple Managing Committee Member Sudarsan Pattnaik has demanded a public apology from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly hurting the sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees worldwide by naming the Jagannath temple in Digha as “Jagannath Dham.”.
The sand artist strongly objected to the West Bengal Chief Minister referring to the newly inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha as “Jagannath Dham.”
He stated that such a remark by Mamata Banerjee has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of Jagannath devotees across the globe.
According to Shri Patnaik, sacred scriptures (Shastras) affirm that there is only one Jagannath Dham, which is located in Puri. Associating any other temple with the term “Jagannath Dham” may lead to religious confusion and contradicts long standing spiritual and cultural traditions of Hinduism, he said.
He has also written a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi seeking his intervention into the matter and urged him to intervene in the matter, engage with his West Bengal counterpart, and take appropriate action.
In his letter, the sand artist mentioned that a few sevayats (temple servitors) from the Puri temple have reportedly claimed that “Brahma” has been installed in the stone idol of Lord Jagannath at the Digha temple.
“This claim is highly sensitive, as the concept of Brahma in the idol of Mahaprabhu Jagannath is a sacred and unique feature of the original temple in Puri, rooted in centuries of tradition and ritual secrecy,” read the letter.
He requested the Chief Minister to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, especially to clarify what is meant by “Brahma” in this context and to address the use of the term “Jagannath Dham.”
Stating that misrepresentations like these could create confusion both for followers of Sanatan Hindu Dharma and for non-Hindus around the world, Patnaik recalled that during the 2015 Nabakalebara (ritual of rebirth of deities), public suspicion had arisen regarding the change of the Brahma ritual. Although an official inquiry was conducted, the findings were never made public, he mentioned.
Not only the former temple managing committee member, several senior Sevayats of Jagannath temple have raised objections to the name of the Digha temple and Pratistha Utsav rituals.