Bhubaneswar: Perturbed over reinstallation of ‘Jagannath Dham’ signage at the new temple in Digha, eminent sand artist from Odisha Sudarsan Pattnaik sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in the matter.
Voicing concern over the use of ‘Dham’ by West Bengal government for the recently-inaugurated Jagannath Temple at Digha, Sudarsan wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to intervene and address the contentious issue.
A former member of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee in Puri, the sand sculptor said West Bengal government’s move to refer to the temple in Digha as ‘Jagannath Dham’ has hurt religious sentiments of millions of devotees of Lord Jagannath across the globe.
“While the construction of a new temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath is truly commendable and appreciated, the reference to it as ‘Jagannath Dham’ has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of millions of His (Lord Jagannath) devotees around the world. As per our sacred scriptures, there is only one recognised Jagannath Dham, which is in Puri, Odisha. Using this revered title for any other location may cause religious confusion and runs contrary to the longstanding spiritual traditions and cultural heritage of Hinduism,” he wrote in a post on X.
Sudarsan requested Prime Minister Modi to consider taking appropriate action to preserve the rich Jagannath culture.
The sand artist had earlier written to Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb regarding the matter and sought appropriate steps.
My humble request to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi ji, to intervene and address the West Bengal government’s decision to refer to Jagannath Temple in #Digha as “#JagannathDham.” This sacred title is exclusively associated with Puri, Odisha. The use of this term… pic.twitter.com/HZHJ02CEJb
— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) May 6, 2025
