Mon May 05 22:50:47 UTC 2025: **Odisha Denies Puri Temple Wood Used in Digha Jagannath Temple**
Bhubaneswar, Odisha – May 6, 2025 – The Odisha government has categorically denied allegations that sacred timber from the Puri Jagannath Temple was used to create idols for the newly constructed Jagannath temple in Digha, West Bengal. The denial follows a recent controversy sparked by a sevayat (priest) from the Puri temple, Ramakrishna Dasmohapatra, who initially claimed in a TV interview that surplus wood from the Nabakalebara ritual had been sent to Digha.
However, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan stated that an investigation by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration found no evidence supporting this claim. The Maharana Sevaks, responsible for carving the idols during the Nabakalebara, and the sculptor of the Digha idols, Sudarshan Maharana, have both confirmed that the wood used in Digha originated elsewhere. Mr. Dasmohapatra later retracted his statement, attributing it to a “slip of the tongue.”
Furthermore, the Odisha government plans to formally request the West Bengal government to remove the term “Jagannath Dham” from the Digha temple’s name. This follows objections from devotees and religious leaders who argue that only four sites hold the “Dham” designation in Hindu tradition, with Puri being one. Reports indicate West Bengal may already have removed the term from official references. The controversy comes despite the attendance of over 50 sevayats from Puri at the Digha temple’s consecration ceremony, a temple constructed at an estimated cost of ₹250 crore.
First Piper 