Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said Tuesday that ‘dhams’ are set up based on the religious faith of people and not on the arrogance or ego of any person or government.
Majhi was replying to a question here on the fate of his letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the row over naming a temple at Digha as ‘Jagannath Dham’.
Without taking Banerjee’s name, Majhi said, “As dhams were established hundreds of years ago based on the faith of people, it cannot be changed by any person or a government. Adi Shankaracharya had set up four ‘dhams’ for Hindus and Puri’s Jagannath Dham is one of them.”
“Yes, I had written a letter (requesting Banerjee to refrain from referring to the Jagannath temple in Digha as ‘dham’) to the West Bengal chief minister. But she has not given a reply though a letter, but issued a statement which is not acceptable. The matter, which is based on the faith of millions of people, should be respected,” Majhi said.
He said Adi Shankaracharya had established four ‘dhams’ in different regions of India from the religious point of view for the protection of the Hindu religion.
“Her (Banerjee) statement reflects arrogance and ego. People will give a befitting reply to the person,” Majhi said.
Majhi, however, did not give any indication of the Odisha government taking legal recourse over the ‘Jagannath Dham’ row.
Earlier, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had said that the Odisha government may be forced to take the matter to court if Benerjee did not withdraw the ‘dham’ word from the Digha Jagannath Temple.
Majhi had on May 6 written a letter to Banerjee stating, “I request the Government of West Bengal to reconsider the usage of the name ‘Jagannath Dham’ in relation to the Jagannath temple recently established at Digha and refrain from using the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ in its official naming, communication and promotional materials.”
Majhi also mentioned in the letter that he sincerely hopes that the West Bengal government would uphold the spirit of inter-state respect and cultural sensitivity in this matter and take necessary steps to address Odisha’s concerns.
Banerjee had inaugurated the temple at Digha, a sea resort town in Purba Medinipur district, April 30.
The titular king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, had also urged the authorities in West Bengal to refrain from using ‘dham’. Two Shankaracharyas had also opposed the usage of ‘Jagannath Dham’ with the Digha temple.
