Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday wrote a letter to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, urging her to refrain from referring to the Jagannath temple in Digha as ‘dham’.
Banerjee inaugurated the temple in Digha last week and described it a “Jagannath Dham”, sparking a controversy.
In the letter to Banerjee, Majhi said, “I request the government of West Bengal to reconsider the usage of the name ‘Jagannath Dham’ in relation to the Jagannath temple recently established at Digha and refrain from using the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ in its official naming, communication and promotional materials.” He also said in the letter that he sincerely hopes that the government of the neighbouring state will uphold the spirit of inter-state respect and cultural sensitivity in this matter and take necessary steps to address Odisha’s concerns.
Odisha chief minister’s letter to Banerjee came days after the West Bengal government inaugurated the temple at Digha, a sea resort town in Purba Medinipur district, on April 30.
Majhi noted that Shree Jagannath Dham in Puri is one of the four Dhams of Hinduism and holds unparalleled religious, spiritual, and cultural significance, not just for the people of Odisha, but also for millions of devotees across India and the world.
The name “Jagannath Dham” holds a unique and sacrosanct identity linked to Puri, he said.
“Its usage in reference to any other temple or location hurts sentiment and emotion of millions of pilgrims, devotees, and the general public, besides diluting the distinct heritage of Shree Jagannath Dham, Puri,” Majhi said in the letter.
Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had on Monday said the state administration decided to request the West Bengal government to withdraw the dham title from the Digha temple.
“If they (West Bengal government) does not respond to our request, we will be forced to take legal recourse,” Harichandan said.
The titular king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, had also urged the authorities in West Bengal to refrain from using ‘dham’.
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