Puri: Puri’s titular king Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb Monday claimed that the Jagannath temple in West Bengal’s Digha cannot be called ‘Jagannath Dham’.
Deb, the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, said that only the 12th century shrine in Puri can be called ‘Jagannath Dham’ as per scriptures.
Deb, considered the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, in a statement, said, “Upon learning from media about the newly consecrated Shree Jagannath temple at Digha being named as ‘Jagannath Dham’ or ‘Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre’, I sought the opinion of Muktimundupa Pundita Sabha on this matter.”
“The Muktimundupa Pundita Sabha have said that the ‘moola peetha’ or original place of Shree Jagannath is ‘Purushottama-kshetra’ (Puri) and names, such as ‘Jagannatha Dham’, ‘Purushottama-kshetra’, ‘Shreekshetra’ and ‘Neelachala Dham’ refer only to Puri and cannot be used to refer to any other place where ‘Chaturdha Daru Vigraha’ (four-handed wooden idols) have been consecrated,” Deb said.
“I wish to add here that the glory of Shree Jagannatha Mahaprabhu is most authentically and comprehensively expounded by Maharshi Veda Vyasa in ‘Shree Purushottama-kshetra Mahatmyam’ contained in the ‘Vaishnava Khanda’ of Skanda Purana. A plain reading of this scripture will leave no doubt that it is only Puri which can be called ‘Shree Jagannatha Dham’ and not any other place or temple because it is Puri which is the eternal holy abode of the Supreme Lord — Shree Purushottama-Jagannath,” he added.
Deb said that in ‘Shree Purushottama-kshetra Mahatmyam’, Mahararshi Jaimini narrates the glory of Purushottama-kshetra Puri in this manner: “Although Lord Jagannath is all-pervading and is the source of all, and there are also other holy places which destroy all sins, yet this holy place is superior as it has become the Body of this Supreme Being. He Himself is present there, assuming a Form and has indeed made that place known by His own Name (Purushottama)”.
He also said that in Brahma-Purana, Neeladri Mahodaya and other sacred scriptures, which conclusively establish that Shree Purushottamakshetra Puri is the eternal most Holy Abode of Shree Purushottama-Jagannath.
“And, as stated in Padma-Purana (Chapter 6) it is the sacred eternal Abode of the Lord that is called ‘Dham’ and not any other place or temple. Over the centuries, the great founder-acharyas of various sampradayas of Sanatana Vaidika Dharma, such as Bhagavatpada Adi Shankaracharya, Shree Ramanujacharya, Shree Nimbarkacharya, Shree Madhvacharya, Shree Ramanandacharya, Shree Chaitanya and Shree Vallabhacharya acknowledged Puri (and no other place) as Shree Jagannatha Dham,” he pointed out.
“In view of the above, I sincerely urge the authorities of Digha Jagannath Temple to desist from naming Digha Jagannath Temple as ‘Jagannath Dham’ or ‘Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre’,” he said.
Deb said temples of Shree Jagannath around the world should honour and uphold the glorious heritage of Lord Jagannath with regard to the proclamations in sacred scriptures and age-old traditions of the moola-peetha Shreemandira in Shree Jagannath Dham Puri.
“Dishonour or disrespect to time-honoured traditions and heritage of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath will hurt the religious sentiments of countless devotees around the world,” he added.
