Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, May 27, 2025, Kolkata : The Jagannath Temple in Digha, which has seen a significant surge in visitors since its inauguration, is at the center of a growing controversy. The temple’s success has raised concerns among the authorities of the Puri Jagannath Temple, who are now planning to take legal action to protect the exclusive use of sacred terms associated with the Lord Jagannath tradition. The Puri temple administration is preparing to apply for patents on several key phrases, including ‘Jagannath Dham’, ‘Maha Prasad’, ‘Nilachal Dham’, ‘Srikshetra’, ‘Purushottamdham’, and the temple’s logo.
Arvind Padhi, the chief administrator of the Puri Jagannath Temple, emphasized the significance of this legal move. “It is critical to protect the sanctity, heritage, and unique identity of the Jagannath temple,” Padhi said. “The application for patents is an essential step to prevent the indiscriminate use of sacred terms related to Lord Jagannath, which are of immense cultural and religious importance.”
This decision comes amid ongoing controversy over the use of the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ at the newly constructed temple in Digha. The Digha temple, which is modeled after the famous Puri Srimandir, has faced criticism from various quarters, including Shankaracharya of Puri, who raised concerns about the appropriateness of the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ being used for a temple outside of Puri. In response to the growing backlash, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who inaugurated the Digha temple last month, strongly defended the project.
During her comments, Banerjee dismissed the controversy as unnecessary, accusing the Odisha government of overreacting. “When Odisha faces a shortage of potatoes, Bengal helps. When a cyclone hits and damages infrastructure, Bengal sends engineers to assist. Most tourists visiting Puri are from Bengal. What is the problem if we build a Jagannath Dham in Digha?” she stated. The Chief Minister also criticized the violence surrounding the issue, remarking, “We all go to Puri without asking too many questions. Why should there be so much violence over this?”
In response, Odisha’s Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan expressed concerns about the sensitivity of religious matters, particularly with regard to the four main ‘dhams’ of India. Harichandan indicated that the Odisha government would formally request the West Bengal authorities to reconsider the use of the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ for the Digha temple.
As tensions continue to rise over the issue, both states appear to be digging in their heels, with no clear resolution in sight. The legal steps taken by the Puri temple authorities could be a pivotal development in determining the future use of these sacred names and terms, potentially setting a precedent for how sacred intellectual property is handled in the context of religious and cultural heritage.