Bhubaneswar, June 9: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said that his Government will remove the word “Dham” from Digha Jagannath Dham Temple Complex in Purba Medinipur.

The development comes after Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi wrote a letter to Adhikari requesting him to drop ‘dham’ from Digha Jagannath Dham Temple Complex as it exclusively refers to Puri, the adobe of Lord Jagannath and its usage for any other temple is inappropriate.

“I am accepting this letter...Let me state clearly that the then-government had approved it as a cultural centre. We will remove the word ‘Dham’. The cultural centre complex will remain, and worship will continue. The entire complex will function as a temple, but the word ‘Dham’ will be dropped. I, too, felt that the previous government had disregarded people's sentiments,” said Adhikari to media persons in Purba Medinipur.

In his letter to his West Bengal counterpart, CM Majhi emphasised that the term "Jagannath Dham" is exclusively associated with the sacred Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri, one of the revered Char Dhams of India, and its use for the Digha temple has caused concern among devotees, scholars, and socio-cultural organisations.

The fresh official communication came after a change of Government in West Bengal.

Notably, in May last year, Majhi wrote to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging her Government to drop ‘dham’ from Digha Jagannath Dham Temple Complex following widespread protests and objections over the use of the term ‘dham', including appeals from Puri king Dibyasingha Deb and several prominent Hindu religious leaders seeking its withdrawal. But, the Mamata Banerjee Government did not consider the request.