Gajapati Maharaja Seeks ISKCON’s Help to Remove ‘Jagannath Dham’ Tag from Digha Temple

Bhubaneswar: Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the Puri King and chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), has appealed to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to remove the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ from the newly inaugurated temple in Digha, West Bengal. His intervention follows growing outrage in Odisha over the use of a term traditionally reserved for the historic Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

In a letter addressed to Goverdhan Das Prabhu, chairman of ISKCON’s governing body commission in Mayapur, Deb said the usage of ‘Jagannath Dham’ at Digha was in violation of scriptural injunctions and long-standing religious traditions. He emphasized that this misrepresentation was deeply hurtful to millions of devotees worldwide and urged ISKCON to ensure that the temple’s name be changed to reflect religious propriety.

The Gajapati’s appeal comes in the wake of similar objections from top Hindu religious authorities. Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, in a video message from Punjab, criticized the move and questioned the intent behind West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s support for the nomenclature. He suggested economic motives may be involved, citing the heavy reliance of Puri’s economy on Bengali pilgrims.

Jyotirmath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Uttarakhand also weighed in, stating unequivocally that the term ‘Jagannath Dham’ is spiritually and traditionally exclusive to the Puri temple, also known as Purushottama Kshetra.

In his letter, Deb referenced both Shankaracharyas, noting their declarations that no other temple or region can be labeled as ‘Jagannath Dham’. He called on ISKCON, which oversees the Digha temple’s rituals, to persuade the temple’s trust board to avoid using the term in all official and promotional contexts.

Describing himself as the primary servitor of Lord Jagannath, Deb stressed that the Goverdhan Peeth Shankaracharya is recognized as the highest spiritual authority in Jagannath tradition. He warned that continuing to use the controversial title would cause confusion and spiritual discontent among the global Jagannath community.

The controversy has sparked widespread concern and protests in Odisha, where the Puri temple is revered as one of the four Char Dhams and holds immense religious and cultural significance.