Bhubaneswar: Amid strong protest in Odisha against the use of ‘Dham’ tag for the new Jagannath Temple at Digha in West Bengal, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb on Wednesday sought the intervention of ISKCON for the removal of the term.
The Puri King, who is the chairman of Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), Puri, wrote a letter to Goverdhan Das Prabhu, chairman of ISKCON’s governing body commission, Mayapur, West Bengal, seeking his intervention to resolve the sensitive matter.
His letter coincided with a video message released from Punjab by Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati criticising the use of ‘Jagannath Dham’ for the recently-inaugurated temple at Digha.
The Puri seer suggested that the actions of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were motivated by financial gain. “Puri’s economy and the sustenance of Pandas (servitors) and local shopkeepers depend on Bengali tourists visiting Puri, implying this was Mamata’s clever decision,” Saraswati said.
Earlier, Jyotirmath or Jyotish Peeth (Uttarakhand) Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati affirmed that the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ belongs exclusively to the Puri temple.
“Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj of Goverdhan Peeth (Puri) and Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj of Jyotish Peeth have categorically declared that it is only Purushottama-kshetra Puri which is ‘Jagannatha-Dham’ and that no other Temple or place anywhere else should be called as Jagannatha-Dham,” Puri King said in his letter, copy of which was released to the media.
Noting that the Shankaracharyas hold the highest religious authority in Sanatana Vaidika Dharma., Deb said, “Param Pujyapad Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Goverdhan Peeth, Puri, is the ‘Adi Guru” and “Parama Guru” in the tradition and culture of Lord Jagannatha.”
As Lord Jagannath’s primary servitor, Deb acknowledged being informed about ISKCON representatives’ appointment to the Digha temple trust board. He stated, “I am informed that the ISKCON is also supervising the seva-puja in that (Digha) temple. I request you to use your good offices to convince the Digha temple trust board to desist from using the word “Dham”.
The use of “Jagannatha Dham” or “Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre” for Digha shrine is amounting to a violation of scriptural injunctions and long-established tradition of Lord Jagannatha which is hurting the religious sentiments of countless devotees around the world, he added.
