Digha temple row: Odisha govt will write to Bengal, says Minister Harichandran

Bhubaneswar, May 4 (IANS) Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Sunday said the Odisha government will write to Bengal over naming the Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham'.

Speaking to media persons here, Minister Harichandan said, "I will apprise Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, after his return to Odisha, about the issue and a letter will be written to the West Bengal government informing that there is no justification or reason for naming the Jagannath temple at Digha as 'Jagannath Dham'.

"The Jagannath Temple of Puri, its culture and system should remain untouched, and the state government will do whatever is required for this," he said.

The Law Minister said the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri, has already held meetings with representatives of the Chhatisha Nijoga (Chief of the traditional 36 categories of servitors or Sevayats) and other servitors concerned with rituals of the deities.

On Saturday night, the temple administration made some decisions regarding this issue.

Minister Harichandan said that the government is handling the issue with a firm approach to stop the recurrence of any indiscipline related to the services offered by servitors, temple rituals and culture.

The temple administration has been permitted to take appropriate action on the issue.

The Law Minister also targeted the opposition Biju Janata Dal, referring to incidents of "mismanagement" in the Jagannath temple at Puri during the 24-year rule of the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government.

He also blamed the previous BJD government for the increase in incidents of "indiscipline and mismanagement" in temple affairs.

Earlier, BJD launched a scathing attack on the West Bengal government over naming Digha Jagannath Temple as 'Jagannath Dham'.

The party also asked the Odisha government and temple administration to "come clean" on the issue regarding the claims by one senior Daitapati servitor about making the idols in Digha temple from the remainders of the sacred Neem trees (Daaru) used in the construction of deities in Puri temple during the Nabakalebara in 2015.

On Friday, Minister Harichandan had ordered an investigation into the controversy surrounding the Digha Temple in Bengal.

--IANS

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