Why Digha's new Jagannath temple inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee has drawn backlash from Puri servitors

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee oversaw the consecration ceremony at the new Jagannath temple in the beach town of Digha

The new Jagannath temple in West Bengal’s beach town of Digha in East Midnapore district has triggered a controversy.

While BJP and Congress launched a fresh attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Puri Jagannath temple servitors have raised concerns about the Digha temple.

Banerjee on Wednesday inaugurated the temple which is a stunning replica of the iconic Jagannath Temple in Puri.

All about the Digha temple

Jagannath Dham temple complex in Digha has been built on a 24-acre plot at a cost of nearly Rs 250 crore. Inspired by the iconic 12th century Jagannath Temple in Puri, the temple is located about 350 km from Puri. Constructed using more than 300,000 cubic feet of Bansi Paharpur pink sandstone, the temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Goddess Mahalaxmi. The project was announced in 2019, and construction began in May 2022.

The work was supervised by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation.
According to reports, the temple complex comprises four key components: the Vimana (Garbha Griha or sanctum sanctorum), the Jagamohan (assembly hall), the Nat Mandir (dancing hall) and the Bhog Mandap (offering hall).

Why are Puri servitors upset?

Banerjee extended an invitation to Puri servitors to attend the ceremony and has also invited Chunara sevayat to tie the flag on the temple. However, Niyog has declined the invitation and imposed restrictions on its members, warning that any member who participates in the flag-tying rituals in Digha will be banned from service.

According to News18, the Puri servitors said that the sanctity of the Puri Jagannath temple must be preserved. They reportedly said that the Puri temple is irreplaceable, and no other temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath around the world can claim to be an alternative to the Shrimandir.

The News18 report stated that the West Bengal government should restrict the entry of Muslims into the temple, allowing access only to Hindus to preserve its sanctity.

However, Radharaman Das, vice president of ISKCON, told Indian Express that non-Hindus and foreigners would be allowed to enter the Digha shrine. This is a break from the unexplained practice of allowing only Hindus in Puri temple.

The consecration ceremony was attended by a senior servitor (daitapati) of the Puri Temple Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, and servitors from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

Servitors’ groups such the Suar Mahasuar nijog, which prepares the bhog in the Puri Temple, and the Puspalaka nijog, which dresses the deities daily, also put up notices asking servitors not to participate in any rituals at the Digha temple. They also said selling prasad under the name of “Mahaprasad” would diminish its sanctity. The fifty-six food items which are offered to Lord Jagannath in the holy temple of Puri are termed Mahaprasad.

Row over ‘Dham’

In its advertisements for the Digha temple, the Bengal government used the word “Dham” (seat) and a picture of the Nilachakra (metal wheel atop the Puri Temple).

Daitapati Ramachandra Dasmohapatra of the Puri Temple told Indian Express that there are only four dhams in Hinduism – Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. He also said the Digha temple idols are made of stone which cannot be used for Lord Jagannath. The idols of Lord Jagannath in Puri are made of wood, specifically neem wood.

Worry over footfall

A large chunk of visitors to Odisha comes from West Bengal. According to Odisha government’s Statistical Bulletin 2023, of the 97.25 lakh domestic tourists who visited the state that year, the largest number, 13.59 lakh, or almost 14%, were from Bengal. The share of Bengalis in tourist arrivals in Odisha was roughly the same in 2022 and 2021 as well, stated a report by Indian Express.

Why are BJP and Congress attacking Mamata?

BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly, launched a four-day Hindu religious conference at Kanthi town.

“Mamata Banerjee is passing off a cultural centre as a temple. People are having fish and meat out there and walking around in shoes. She is a fake Hindu. She attends the namaz on Eid at Kolkata’s Red Road with her head covered,” Adhikari told the media.

The opposition parties alleged that the Bengal CM was trying to woo the Hindu voters, who comprise around 70% of the state’s population, ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

Former state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Lord Jagannath is always alive but our Didi (elder sister) insists on putting life in him. Why doesn’t she sit on the altar as a Goddess? Why is she making fun of Hindu sentiments? She also landed at the Eid namaz on Red Road. BJP and Didi are in a competition.”