INDIA, May 2, 2025 (Indian Express): Servitors of the Jagannath Temple in Puri have warned members of their community against participating in any rituals that are held at a new replica of the 12th century shrine that was opened by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the seaside town of Digha on Akshaya Tritiya. Several culture researchers and senior servitors of the Puri Temple have also questioned use of the word Dham for the temple by the West Bengal government. The new temple has been built by the government at a cost of US$29.94 million on a 24-acre plot in Digha in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, about 217 miles from Puri. Like the Puri Temple, the Digha temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Goddess Mahalaxmi. The 213-foot-high temple is a replica of the world famous Puri Temple, and has been built in sandstone in the Kalingan architectural style.

Padmanava Mahasuar, president of the Suar Mahasuar Nijog, told The Indian Express that while they welcomed the inauguration of the temple in Digha and would even like devotees to visit it, the traditional rituals of the original Temple should not be copied in the new one. Performing these same rituals in Digha – and at other Jagannath temples in the country – would dilute the significance of the Puri Temple, he argued. The West Bengal government’s use of the word Dham (seat) and a picture of the Nilachakra (metal wheel atop the Puri Temple) in its advertisements for the Digha temple have also been questioned. Daitapati Ramachandra Dasmohapatra of the Puri Temple pointed out that there are only four dhams in Hinduism – Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. Also, this senior servitor said, the statues at the Digha temple are made of stone, which cannot be the case with Lord Jagannath. “According to Hindu tradition, Lord Jagannath is Daru Brahma, and He is never made of stone. Daru is wood, and Brahma is the supreme power. The statues are made of neem wood,” Dasmohapatra said.

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