Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday wrote to his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, expressing Odisha’s deep concern over the naming of the recently established temple at Digha as ‘Jagannath Dham’.
In his letter to the Bengal CM, Majhi highlighted that Shree Jagannath Dham in Odisha’s Puri is one of Char Dhams of Hinduism and holds immense religious, cultural, and spiritual significance for millions of devotees across the world. Using the same term Jagannath Dham for the Digha temple could confuse devotees, dilute the historical and spiritual identity of Puri as the original and revered abode of the Lord, and hurt the religious sentiments of the people of Odisha, he noted.
Emphasising the importance of inter-state respect and cultural sensitivity, he requested the West Bengal government to reconsider and refrain from using the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ for the Digha temple in its official naming, communication, and promotional materials.
This came a day after Mamata criticised the Odisha government after the latter threatened legal action against Bengal over the naming controversy. “So much jealousy of Jagannath Dham? When you face electricity scarcity, Bengal arranges it. I love Odisha. When, during a cyclone, all your wires get damaged, you seek our engineers. Despite us being affected by the cyclone too, we sent them. The maximum number of tourists from Bengal visit Puri and Odisha. Bengal tourists visit from here throughout the year. What is your problem if we have one Jagannath Dham? You stay happy, let Bengal also stay happy,” she had said.
The controversy, raging since the inauguration of the temple in the neighbouring state, was further fuelled this morning after the Bengal government installed a permanent ‘Jagannath Dham’ signage at the Jagannath Temple in Digha. The temporary signage was removed on Monday, which was welcomed by people of Odisha, but it was short-lived.
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