Bhubaneswar, May 5: Amid the growing controversy over the naming of a newly inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha, West Bengal, Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb has firmly stated that no other place can be referred to as Jagannath Dham except Shree Kshetra Puri.
In an official press release issued on Monday, the Gajapati Maharaja emphasized that the original and only Peetha (sacred seat) of Lord Jagannath is Purushottama Kshetra, also known as Shree Kshetra, located in Puri, Odisha.
“We have learned from media reports that the newly built Jagannath temple in Digha, East Medinipur, has been named ‘Jagannath Dham’ or ‘Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre’,” the statement noted.
To address the issue, a letter was sent to the Mukti Mandap Pandit Sabha—Puri’s highest religious advisory body—on May 3, 2025. The Sabha responded on May 4, reaffirming that while idols of the Chaturdha Murti (Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshan) may be consecrated at various locations, the titles Jagannath Dham, Shree Purushottama Kshetra, Shree Kshetra, or Neelachal Dham are exclusively reserved for Puri.
Echoing the Sabha’s stance, the Gajapati Maharaja concluded that the Digha temple must not be referred to by any of these sacred designations.
