News India Live, Digital Desk: A grand Jagannath temple has been built on 24 acres at a cost of Rs 250 crore in the sea coastal city of Digha in East Medinipur district of West Bengal. Built in the Kalinga style, the height of this temple is 213 feet and is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Mahalakshmi. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.
However, the dispute has also started with the inauguration of the temple. The major servants of the Jagannath temple in Puri have objected to the traditional rituals of Puri at the Digha temple. Sevaks believe that copying the special religious rituals of Puri will affect the uniqueness and religious importance of the Puri temple.
Padmavat Mahasuar, president of Puri’s pig Mahasuar Nijog, said, “We welcome the construction of the Digha temple, but the traditional rituals of Puri should not be repeated there. This can weaken the religious dignity of the Puri temple.”
Apart from this controversy, the servants of Puri temple have also objected to the use of the word ‘Dham’ and the use of ‘Neelchakra’, a symbol of the Puri temple. Daityapati servant Ramchandra Dasamohpatra said, “Only four dhams are valid in the Hindu tradition – Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram.” He also clarified that the idols of Lord Jagannath are made of neem wood (liquor) in the Puri temple, while stone sculptures have been installed in Digha.
On the other hand, non-Hindus and foreign tourists will also be allowed to enter the Digha temple, which is completely opposite to the tradition of Puri temple. Tourism experts believe that the Digha temple will not be able to become an alternative to the Puri temple yet, as the religious tourism structure like Puri is not present here. But if the Odisha government does not pay attention to the development of tourism, then it can have an impact in the future.
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