Bhubaneswar, May 6: Biju Janata Dal-BJD Vice-President Debi Prasad Mishra reaffirmed that Jagannath Dham refers exclusively to Puri, amid a row over West Bengal's Digha temple being referred to by the same name.
Mishra clarified that while Jagannath temples exist globally, the sacred Dham status belongs only to Puri. He also stated that Darubrahma wood was not used in the Digha temple idols.
Responding to concerns over BJD’s new team formation, Mishra said the decisions were made by party president Naveen Patnaik without internal conflict.
Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal echoed the sentiment, saying naming the Digha temple as a Dham was incorrect, as there are only four Dhams in India, with Puri being one.
Following the backlash, the term Dham was replaced with temple on Digha signage. Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called for mutual respect for all religious sites and questioned the controversy
