Bhubaneswar/Puri: Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, a servitor who belongs to Daitapati Nijog of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, is in the eye of the storm brewing over alleged “Brahma Partistha” and use of “Jagannath Dham” for the recently-inaugurated shrine at Digha.
The Daitapati attempted to clarify his position by addressing a presser on Friday. “They had installed idols sculpted from stone at the Digha temple about 4 months ago. They consulted me on the auspicious dates for the inauguration of the temple. I had told them that rituals cannot be conducted with stone idols and accordingly, I took these idol made from neem wood standing about 3 feet tall from here for the consecration ceremony,” he said.
He, however, refuted reports that the idols were carved from ‘Darubramha’, a special type of neem wood used during the Nabakalebara in 2015 at the Puri temple. He also asserted that ‘Brahma’ exists only in Puri.
Notably, servitors of ‘Daitapati Nijog’ change ‘Brahma’ materials from old wooden idol to new one during the Nabakalebar, which means the rebirth of the deities as per the rituals of the 12th-century temple.
When asked about the use of ‘Dham’ for the Digha shrine, he said: “It is wrong on their part to use Dham for the temple there. Puri is the only Jagannath Dham. I will write to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in this regard. There should also be communication between the two governments on this matter,” he added.
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Voices Against Misrepresentations
While demanding the withdrawal of the “self-styled” Dham label, renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik on Thursday highlighted reports that a few sevayats from the Puri temple, who participated in the Digha temple’s inauguration, have claimed that “Brahma” has been installed in the stone idol of Lord Jagannath. “This claim is highly sensitive, as the concept of ‘Brahma’ in the idol of Mahaprabhu Jagannath is a sacred and unique feature of the original temple in Puri, rooted in centuries of tradition and ritual secrecy,” he told the media.
Pattnaik, a former member of the 12th-century Puri shrine’s managing committee, has also written to Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, requesting for a thorough investigation by the state government, particularly to clarify the use of the term “Brahma” and the designation “Jagannath Dham.”
He further stated that such misrepresentations like these could create confusion and go against Hindu religious customs.. “I request the West Bengal Chief Minister to tender an apology to millions of Lord Jagannath devotees for projecting the temple at Digha as a ‘Dham’,” he told PTI.
Pattnaik also urged Chief Minister Mohan Majhi to raise the matter with the West Bengal CM and take appropriate action.
Several culture researchers and senior servitors of the Puri shrine echoed his view with regards to the new temple built at a cost of Rs 250 crore on a 24-acre plot in Digha, about 350 km from Puri.
Though the servitors of the 12th-century shrine here have welcomed the opening of the new temple in Digha, they stressed that the traditional rituals of the original Temple should not be copied in the new one.
Suar Mahasuar Nijog and Puspalaka Nijog had also cautioned its members against participating in rituals at the Digha temple. While members of the Suar Mahasuar Nijog prepare ‘Mahaprasad’ at the Puri temple, the Puspalak Nijog members decorate the sibling deities of Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath.
An advisory was also issued to servitors of Puri shrine, stating that they cannot work in any other temple.
Daitapati Ramachandra Dasmohapatra of the Puri Temple also pointed out that there are only four dhams in Hinduism – Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. “All seas are not ‘Mahodadhi’ or all places of Jagannath Temple across the world are not ‘Dham’. Please do not mislead the people,” he added.
Former Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee member Madhab Mohapatra also criticised Mamata and alleged that these “false claims” could be “part of an evil conspiracy against Jagannath Dham and Sanatan Dharma”.
