Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 6 (ANI) : Padma Shri awardee and Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has objected to naming a newly built Jagannath temple in Digha as 'Jagannath Dham,' saying it undermines the sanctity of Puri's Jagannath Dham and called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to clarify the state's stand.

Speaking to ANI, Pattnaik said,'...We welcome that the Jagannath temple has been built by the West Bengal government, but how can you name the Jagannath temple as Jagannath Dham, no one will accept this ...'

The artist clarified that there was no opposition to the construction of the temple itself but questioned the use of the term 'Dham,' which holds significant religious importance.

'There is no objection to the temple, we only have a problem with why you naming it as Jagannath Dham, because there are four Dhams in our Hindu scriptures and the Dham of Mahaprabhu Jagannath is in Puri, then how can another Jagannath Dham be built in Digha?' he said.

He further urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to clarify the state government's position on the matter.

'You (Mamata Banerjee) will have to give an official statement because this is not Jagannath Dham, this is Jagannath Temple,' Pattnaik told ANI.

Chief Servitor Daitapati Bhabani Das Mohapatra asserted that, according to sacred texts, there are only four recognised dhams (pilgrimage sites): Rameswaram, Badrinath, Dwarka, and Jagannath Dham, and no other place can be designated as a 'dham.'

Jagannath Puri Chief Servitor Bhabani Das Mohapatra accused West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee of conspiring by dropping 'Dham' from the name of Kolkata's Jagannath temple.

'...Mamata didi removed the word Dham from there. You have built the Jagannath temple, you have done good work, but write it by saying Jagannath temple, and you cannot write Dham... No wood has gone from here- Jagannath Puri Dham. Whatever conspiracy was planned by the Chief Minister of Bengal, religion has won in it,' he told ANI.

Meanwhile, on Monday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also refuted allegations that 'sacred neem wood' from Puri's Jagannath Temple was used in making the idols in Digha's Jagannath Temple, clarifying that the idols there are made of marble.

The Rs 250 crore temple in Digha, constructed over 20 acres, was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30, 2025. The temple, inspired by the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, houses the same deities. (ANI)