Bhubaneswar: Puri’s titular king, Divyasingha Deb, Wednesday urged the ISCKON to convince the Digha temple trust board to remove the ‘Jagannath Dham’ name from the newly consecrated temple in the coastal town in West Bengal.
In a letter to Shree Goverdhan Das Prabhu, chairman of ISKCON Governing Body Commission, Mayapur, the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri said that Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati Maharaj of Goverdhan Peeth (Puri) and Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj of Jyotish Peeth (Joshimath) have categorically declared that only ‘Purushottama-kshetra’ Puri is ‘Jagannath Dham’ and that no other temple or place should be called as such.
Stating that ISKCON plays a key role in performing rituals at Digha’s Jagannath temple, Deb, the first servitor of Lord Jagannath in Puri, said, “Having regard to participation of ISKCON representatives in the trust board of Digha Jagannath temple, I request you to use your good offices to convince the Digha Temple Trust Board to desist from using the word ‘dham’ with reference to Shree Jagannath Temple at Digha.”
“As you (ISKCON) are well aware, the most revered Shankaracharyas are the highest religious authorities in Sanatana Vaidika Dharma. Moreover, Shankaracharya of Goverdhan Peeth is the ‘Adi Guru’ and ‘Parama Guru’ in the tradition and culture of Lord Jagannath,” he said.
The Muktimundupa Pundita Sabha in Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri, has stated, citing relevant scriptural declarations, that Shree Jagannath Temple in Digha cannot be called ‘Jagannath Dham’, he mentioned in the letter.
The nomenclatures, such as ‘Shree Jagannath Dham’, ‘Shree Purushottama Dham or Kshetra’, ‘Shreekshetra’ and ‘Shree Neelachala Dham’ refer only to the ‘moola-peetha’ (original abode) of Lord Jagannath at Puri and cannot be used for any other place or temple even if Lord Jagannath has been duly consecrated and worshipped there, he said quoting the opinion of the Muktimundupa Pundita Sabha.
Meanwhile, a video released by Govardhan Peeth, Puri, showed Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati, who is currently touring Punjab, saying: “Lord Brahma had first installed the Shree Jagannath idol in Puri Temple. Later, Adi Shankaracharya again installed the ‘Daru’ (wooden) idols of Lord Jagannath.”
“However, the fact remains that the Puri servitors and markets of the city run on Bengali pilgrims’ spending. Mamata Banerjee thinks that if the Jagannath temple is set up in West Bengal, the Bengali pilgrims will spend money only there. An economic game is being played in the name of Lord Jagannath,” the Puri seer said in the video.
PTI
