Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb seeks ISKCON’s intervention for removal of ‘Jagannath Dham’ tag from Digha temple

BHUBANESWAR: A day after Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi wrote to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee to remove 'Jagannath Dham' from the newly opened Jagannath temple in Digha, Puri king and Jagannath temple managing committee (JTMC) chairman Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb on Wednesday sought ISKCON's intervention to resolve this sensitive matter.The development coincided with Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati releasing a video message from Punjab on Wednesday, criticising Mamata's use of Jagannath Dham for the Digha temple.Saraswati suggested that Mamata's actions were financially motivated. “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,” the top Hindu leader said.On Tuesday, 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," stated Puri king's letter to Goverdhan Das Prabhu, chairman of Iskcon's governing body commission, Mayapur, West Bengal.Deb emphasised that the revered Shankaracharyas hold the highest religious authority in Sanatana Vaidika Dharma. He noted, "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". Naming the Digha temple as "Jagannatha Dham" or "Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre" 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."