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
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'. Read Full Story 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.
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