Majhi writes to Mamata, requests her to remove Dham from Digha temple name
BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday wrote to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee requesting her to reconsider the use of Jagannath Dham for the newly-inaugurated temple at Digha.
Expressing deep concern over naming of the Digha temple as Jagannath Dham, Majhi said Shree Jagannath temple at Puri is one of the 'Char Dhams' of Hinduism and holds unparalleled religious, spiritual and cultural significance, not just for people of Odisha but also millions of devotees across the country and world.
'The name 'Jagannath Dham' holds a unique and sacrosant identity linked to Puri, and its usage in reference to any other temple or location hurts sentiments and emotions of millions of pilgrims besides diluting heritage of Shree Jagannath Dham, Puri,' he wrote.
The CM said while Odisha acknowledges the devotion of the people of West Bengal towards Lord Jagannath, the use of Dham in official and promotional context for the Digha temple is likely to cause confusion among devotees, dilute the historical identity of Puri as the original and revered abode of the Lord.
Majhi requested the government of West Bengal to reconsider the usage of Jagannath Dham in its official naming, communication and promotional materials. 'I sincerely hope the government of West Bengal will uphold the spirit of inter-state respect and cultural sensitivity in this matter and take necessary steps to address our concerns,' Majhi wrote.
On the other hand, even as Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth in Puri Swami Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj is yet to react to the controversy, his counterpart in Jyotirmath at Uttarakhand Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said only Puri Jagannath temple can be called a Dham. Avimukteshwaranand on Tuesday said a Dham can only be in one place and it is not right to call Digha temple as such.
Meanwhile, within hours of BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya claiming that the Jagannath Dham signage has been removed from Digha due to protests, the temple authorities have reinstalled a new permanent signage at the same spot. Purba Medinipur Police in West Bengal called the signage removal claims as 'false propaganda by people with vested interests'.
This comes a day after state Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said Odisha government will explore legal options if West Bengal does not drop the word. Puri king Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb also urged Digha temple authorities not to associate Dham with it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
22 minutes ago
- News18
Bihar Elections: Alliance On Track, NDA Seat Finalisation Soon; Nitish Kumar To Be CM Face
Last Updated: According to sources, ticket distribution in the Bihar assembly elections within the NDA is likely to follow the same formula as in the Lok Sabha elections The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has decided to contest all seats in the upcoming Bihar elections, with sources saying seat distribution may not have been decided yet but other factors have been considered. 'Which caste will get representation on which seat has already been decided for all the 243 seats," a top source told CNN-News18. The state leaders have held several rounds of meetings to understand the share of seats that the NDA wants to contest. Another two or three rounds of meetings are expected to take place before the focus shifts to the finalisation in Delhi. After that, a detailed meeting with the alliance partners will take place to firm up plans for all the 243 seats. Also, there is no doubt in the mind of the alliance that Nitish Kumar will continue to be the face of the bloc. The decision to continue as chief minister after the elections will be left to Kumar, the sources added. On the kind of commentary that political leaders have been making against Kumar's conduct, BJP sources indicated: 'Any sensitive and sensible politician will never make a remark on somebody's health… One should always refrain from commenting on the health of seniors." Alliance partners Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Upendra Kushwaha will contest in the state. Paswan had expressed his wish to contest the assembly polls, pushing forward his 'Bihari first' stance, and his party gave the go-ahead in a recent meeting. According to sources, ticket distribution in the Bihar assembly elections within the NDA is likely to follow the same formula as in the Lok Sabha elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP contested 17 seats, JD(U) 16, LJP five, while Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha contested one seat each. Although BJP contested one more seat than JD(U) in the Lok Sabha polls, in the assembly elections, JD(U) may contest on one or two more seats than BJP. As per sources, JD(U) may contest around 102–103 out of the 243 seats, while BJP may contest on 101–102 seats. The remaining roughly 40 seats will be allotted to Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). The BJP has decided that it will not award a ticket to a candidate whose feedback is negative in the last two surveys that the party has done. Seat sharing and seat allocation will also be done on the basis of ability to win. 'Any alliance partner who has lost the seat more than twice may be exchanged with the other alliance partner," the top sources added. Earlier, it was speculated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would go to Bihar on June 15 but his visit stands postponed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to Bihar on June 20 for an engagement in Siwan. The Election Commission has indicated that the Bihar assembly polls will take place in either two or three phases. The full bench of the EC, including chief election commissioner Ganesh Kumar, is expected to travel to Bihar this month. First Published: June 10, 2025, 13:09 IST
New Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Odisha govt hikes ex gratia for death due to wild animal attack to Rs 10 lakh
BHUBANESWAR : The Odisha government has increased the ex gratia for death due to wild animal attack to Rs 10 lakh from the existing `6 lakh, informed Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday. The chief minister also approved inclusion of new provisions in the existing compassionate grant norms. As per the decision, along with increase in the ex gratia compensation for death, if a house is damaged by wild animals, a new house will be provided under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana or an equivalent financial assistance will be given to the victim. Similarly, in case of damage to kitchen, paddy storage unit or goat shed, a compassionate assistance of Rs 3,000 will be provided. The government will also provide financial assistance for damage to compound wall in wild animal attack. If a boundary wall is damaged, financial support of Rs 5,000 per metre, up to a maximum limit of Rs 25,000, will be given as a compassionate grant.
New Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Odisha CM vows strict action against illegal Bangladeshi settlers in state
KENDRAPARA: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday directed the district administration to take strict legal action against Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in Kendrapara. Attending a review meeting at Kendrapara during his maiden visit to the coastal district, the CM said the local police need to work in coordination with Central agencies to deal with the issue of illegal immigration. 'All illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other countries will not be spared. We will identify and take action against all immigrants staying in the state illegally without valid documents. The move is necessary for national security,' he said. Incidentally in March this year, the CM had informed the Odisha Assembly that a total of 3,738 Bangladeshi infiltrators were identified in the state. The highest number of 1,649 illegal Bangladeshi settlers were in Kendrapara followed by 1,112 in neighbouring Jagatsinghpur.
