Bhubaneswar: The Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Friday issued another show-cause notice to Daitapati servitor Ramkrushna Das Mahapatra. He has been given two days to submit an explanation. The notice states that if a satisfactory explanation is not received within this period, action will be taken as per the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955.
The notice mentions that images and videos of Das Mahapatra participating in and leading a servitor group at the consecration ceremony of a Shree Jagannath Temple in Digha have been widely circulated in various media. It has come to notice that during the inauguration of the temple in Digha, it was specifically named “Jagannath Dham – Digha,” and a signboard to this effect was displayed.
— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) May 9, 2025
Puri is the sacred, eternal, and primary seat of Lord Shree Purushottam Jagannath. According to scriptural beliefs, Shree Kshetra Shree Jagannath Dham is one of the four most prominent pilgrimage sites (Char Dham) in India. Despite being aware of this as a senior Daitapati servitor, Das Mahapatra’s participation in the consecration ceremony of a self-proclaimed temple named “Jagannath Dham – Digha” has created confusion among devotees regarding the traditions of Shree Jagannath Temple and has hurt the religious sentiments of countless devotees of Lord Jagannath.
Therefore, the notice demands an explanation as to why he participated as a Shree Jagannath Temple servitor in the program of a temple named “Jagannath Dham – Digha” and whether he protested against the organizers of the Digha Shree Jagannath Temple regarding this naming.
