Jagannath row: Mamata rubbishes ‘stolen wood’ claim, expresses respect for Puri

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reacted to the burgeoning controversies over the newly-inaugurated Jagannath Temple in Digha, rubbishing the claim that “stolen” neem wood was used to craft the idols and saying she respects the temple in Puri as well. “Why is there so much anger on this issue?” she wondered.

Objections are being raised over the promotion of the temple by the West Bengal government as “Jagannath Dham”, a title traditionally associated with the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha.

Another allegation is that surplus sacred neem wood from the Puri Jagannath temple was used to craft the idols of the new temple in Digha, even as tensions simmer between both states over reports of attacks on Bengali-speaking migrant workers.

Also read: Odisha: Servitor gets notice over use of Puri temple wood to make idols in Digha shrine

We respect Puri temple, says Mamata

Mamata appeared unfazed by the controversy and reiterated her reference to the Digha temple as “Jagannath Dham”.

“We respect the temple in Puri and we also respect Jagannath Dham. Kali temples and Gurdwaras are present everywhere across the country. Temples are present in all places...Why is there so much anger on this issue?” she remarked.

On Sunday (May 4), BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra raised objection to the Digha temple being called a “dham”. “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.”

The Odisha government has also said that it intends to write to Mamata, requesting her to stop referring to the new temple as “Jagannath Dham”.

Also read: Explained: Why replica of the Puri Jagannath temple in Bengal has triggered a row?

Mamata rubbishes ‘stolen wood’ charge

The other row is over the participation of servitors from Puri temple in the Digha temple’s inauguration ceremony. On Sunday, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri questioned a senior servitor over the alleged use of surplus sacred wood meant for the 12th-century Puri shrine in crafting idols for the Digha temple.

Mamata on Monday rubbished the allegation as “baseless and fabricated”. “Why would we use stolen neem wood? We have our sources of neem wood. These allegations are completely baseless and unacceptable,” the TMC chief said in Murshidabad.

“Why are they so angry just because we have built a Jagannath temple in Digha? Is it a crime to worship Lord Jagannath in West Bengal?” she asked, adding that the backlash was politically motivated.

Also read: Odisha: 2 held as Lord Jagannath tattoo on foreigner’s thigh sparks row

Attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants

Mamata also condemned what she called a “disturbing pattern” of harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Odisha and said she had directed the state DGP to take up the matter with his counterpart in the neighbouring state.

“Just as migrant workers from Odisha work peacefully in Bengal, people from Bengal also work in Odisha. I have received disturbing reports that even those merely speaking Bengali are being attacked there. This is deeply condemnable,” she said.

“Our DGP will speak with his Odisha counterpart about this. We will not tolerate attacks on our people,” she asserted.

Row over “stolen wood”

According to officials, Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, secretary of the influential Daitapati Nijog, a body of servitors traditionally considered the bodyguards of Lord Jagannath, has been summoned for questioning.

Dasmohapatra reportedly supervised the consecration ceremony of the Digha temple on April 30, which was attended by the West Bengal Chief Minister herself. Nearly 56 servitors from the Puri temple participated in the ceremony in Digha, raising eyebrows among temple authorities and drawing criticism from some quarters in Odisha.

Also read: West Bengal | How Mamata Banerjee’s blend of saffron politics has outfoxed BJP

While the SJTA has not directly accused the West Bengal government of wrongdoing, it has expressed concern over reports that sacred wood left over from the construction of new chariots or temple works in Puri may have been diverted without proper authorisation.

It is alleged that some Puri servitors used leftover neem wood from the 2015 Nabakalebara (new form) ritual to make the idols for the shrine in Digha. Nabakalebara is a ritual held every 12 or 19 years, during which the wooden bodies of idols — Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath — are changed at the Puri temple.

Cultural counter-narrative?

The Digha temple project, backed by the West Bengal government, has been pitched as a major tourism and religious hub on the Bay of Bengal coast and is seen by many as a cultural counter-narrative to Puri’s famed temple, one of the holiest shrines in the Hindu religion.

Notably, there are four Dhams in India, and Puri temple is one of them. The Digha temple is architecturally inspired by the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri and enshrines the same deities.

(With agency inputs)