Bhubaneswar/ New Delhi, May 3: BJP MP from Puri, Sambit Patra, vehemently opposed the naming of a new Jagannath temple in Digha, West Bengal, as "Jagannath Dham," asserting that the only Jagannath Dham is in Puri, Odisha.
In a press address, MP Patra said, "I strongly object to one thing. There is only one Jagannath Dham in the world, and it is not possible to call any other place Jagannath Dham because there is no other place. There are four Dhams in India, and among them, one is a very important Dham- Jagannath Dham, Puri, and there should be no doubt that no other place can be called Jagannath Dham."
Patra emphasized that no other place should carry this title.
Similarly, Odisha Minister Prithviraj Harichandan echoed this view, stating that no temple can be called a “Dham” and announced an internal inquiry into the matter.
BJP MP Pradip Purohit and sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik also urged West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to reconsider the naming to avoid misleading devotees.
The Rs 250-crore Digha temple was inaugurated by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and is modeled after Puri’s iconic shrine.
