Bhubaneswar: Senior Daitapati servitor (sevayat) of the Puri Jagannath Temple, Ramakrishna Das Mahapatra, issued a clarification regarding the controversy surrounding the naming of the Jagannath temple at Digha in West Bengal as Digha Jagannath Dham.
Talking to the mediapersons, he stated that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is his disciple and she had invited him to the consecration ceremony of the temple. The presiding deities at Digha Jagannath temple were made of ‘nimba’ wood, which he himself had brought from Puri.
Also, he emphasised that Puri is the only place for Brahmasthapan (installation of the divine essence), and he never mentioned establishing Brahma elsewhere. Most importantly, no one can take the place of Puri.
“Jagannath Dham refers only to Puri. The rituals of the Srimandir cannot be performed anywhere else. There is no mention of Brahmasthapan anywhere”, said the senior servitor, refuting the comments made in the national media.
