The Puri seer on Thursday accused the West Bengal authorities of misusing the identify of Lord Jagannath for business good points slightly than spiritual devotion.
Addressing a press convention right here, the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, mentioned, “The West Bengal authorities is misusing the identify of Lord Jagannath for business functions. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee doesn’t have the spiritual sentiment required to call the Digha temple as ‘Jagannath Dham’.”
Clarifying his remarks, the 81-year-old seer identified that Puri’s economic system is considerably supported by pilgrims from West Bengal.
“Even Mamata Banerjee is aware of that Puri thrives due to Bengali devotees. Native servitors, inns, and merchants profit from this,” he mentioned.
“To cease the move of income from Bengal to Odisha, she (Mamata) has constructed a Jagannath Temple in Digha and termed it as ‘Dham’. Utilizing the ‘Dham’ tag is just not acceptable,” the seer mentioned, including she thinks Bengali pilgrims will now spend cash in Digha.
Replying a query, he additionally criticised ISKCON for conducting totally different rituals and festivals of Lord Jagannath, together with Rath Yatra, on totally different dates and days not in accordance with the scriptures.
“ISKCON ought to cease all this,” he demanded.
The West Bengal authorities inaugurated the Jagannath Temple in Digha on April 30 and named it as ‘Jagannath Dham’, triggering a row.
The controversy started after the West Bengal authorities inaugurated a Jagannath temple in Digha on April 30, 2025 and named it ‘Jagannath Dham’.
The transfer triggered sharp objections from Puri’s Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and servitors of the Jagannath Temple, who argue that the ‘Dham’ designation is historically and spiritually reserved for Puri.
