Bhubaneswar: Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswat has come out in support of Odisha, which has raised strong objection to the use of the word ‘Dham’ for the newly-inaugurated Jagannath temple at seaside town of Digha in the neighbouring West Bengal.
Speaking to the media, he said Odisha will remain where it is and so also Jagannath Dham in Puri. “There was an attempt in Delhi too to build Kendranath Dham and it was stopped. Today, you have build your own Jagannath Dham and then claim that Odisha is in Bengal. How can that be possible? God is omniscient and Lord Jagannath can be worshipped at any place. The Lord’s idols can be installed and worshipped in Bengal but it is inappropriate to call it as ‘Dham’ and should therefore be removed from it,” he said.
He asserted that there is only one ‘Dham’ of Lord Jagannath and it is in Puri.
Also Read: Misleading ‘Dham’ Signage Reinstalled At Digha Amid Protests In Odisha
This came a day after Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb urged the authorities of Digha Jagannatha Temple to desist from naming it as “Jagannath Dham” or as “Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre”. “Muktimandapa Pandita Sabha have conveyed their learned opinion to me by their letter dated May 4, 2025, stating that the Moola-peetha of Shree Jagannatha Mahaprabhu is Purushottama-Kshetra (Puri) and that the names, such as “Jagannatha Dham”, “Purushottama-Kshetra”, “Shreekshetra” and “Neelachala Dham” refer only to Puri and cannot be used to refer to any other place where Chatudha Daru Vigrahas have been consecrated,” he said.
Also Read: Digha Temple Is Not ‘Jagannath Dham’: Puri King
On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had criticised 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 said.
She also refuted accusations of theft of neem wood from odisha for carving idol of the deities. “It is being said that I even stole a neem plant. I have four neem plants in my own house. The mother of thieves shouts more… Mamata Banerjee doesn’t need to steal from anywhere. Our deity is of marble. They should also know that one can buy a Jagannath statue,” she added.
Also Read: Odisha Sand Sculptor Seeks PM Modi’s Intervention In Digha Temple Row
Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, however, has clarified that no surplus Daru (sacred neem wood from the Srimandir Nabakalebara ritual) was used for the construction of idols in the Digha temple. The idols of the Digha temple deities were carved of neem wood by Bhubaneswar-based sculptor Sudarshan Maharana, he added, calling out the lie of Daitapati Nijog secretary Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra.
