Bhubaneswar, June 26: Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Thursday targeted the West Bengal Government, asserting that the driving force behind the construction of the Jagannath Temple at Digha and terming the temple as ‘Jagannath Dham’ in the neighbouring state is economic interests rather than religious sentiments.
Answering queries over the controversy surrounding the Digha Jagannath Temple during a press conference at the holy coastal town, the Puri seer said: “Most of the pilgrims in Puri come from West Bengal and is a source of earning for the priests, hotels and other businesses here. Mamata (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) wants to restrict this income source to West Bengal utilizing the name of Lord Jagannath.
This is a question of economic interests and has no way connected to religious sentiments.” The Puri seer also criticised the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) as directionless for organising untimely Ratha Yatra and Snana Yatra.
Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has written a letter to his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee requesting her government to stop naming Digha Temple as ‘Jagannath Dham’ as it exclusively refers to the 12th century shrine at Puri and its usage for any other temple is inappropriate.
The Jagannath Temple at Digha was also embroiled in a controversy related to the preparation and distribution of Prasad by some Muslim shop owners. West Bengal’s Jagannath Temple in Digha was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30.
The temple is a replica of the main Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. Following the controversy surrounding the Digha Jagannath Temple, the Odisha government also took a significant decision last month to apply for a patent on the glossary linked to the famous 12th century shrine and deities and the logo of the temple.
Meanwhile, the holy city of Puri braces for the world famous nine-day long Ratha Yatra festival which is set to commence from June 27. The city has been placed under a five-tiered security blanket for the festival.
IANS