"Not right to call this temple as 'Dham'": Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Digha Jagannath Temple controversy

Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], May 6 (ANI): Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Tuesday spoke about the naming of the newly built Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham' and stated that a 'Dham' can only be in one place, and it would not be right to call this temple as 'Dham'.
Speaking to ANI, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said, "The word 'dham' should not be used as there is only one 'Dham' of Lord Jagannath, which is in Puri. A 'Dham' can only be in one place. It would not be right to call this temple as 'Dham'."
This comes after the West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, referred to the Digha temple as "Jagannath Dham," a term traditionally reserved for the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha.
Meanwhile, the word Dham has been replaced with temple in the signboards at the 'Jagannath Digha' temple. The Chief Servitor of Jagannath Puri Temple, Daitapati Bhabani Das Mohapatra, said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to remove the word Dham from the Digha temple after the move sparked controversy.
Mohapatra said, "This had to happen. This is a victory of righteousness. This is the victory of 4.5 crore devotees of Lord Jagannath. Mamata didi removed the word Dham from there. You have built the Jagannath temple, you have done good work, but write it by saying Jagannath temple, and you cannot write Dham... No wood has gone from here- Jagannath Puri Dham. Whatever conspiracy was planned by the Chief Minister of Bengal, religion has won in it."
Additionally, Shankaracharya also spoke about Rahul Gandhi's remarks referring to Lord Ram and deities as "mythological", and stated that, "How can you be a Hindu if you criticise Manusmrti?... Any Sanatan Dharma follower will object to this."
He also said that the government should ensure that perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack are punished. "The government should ensure that the perpetrators are punished," Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand said.
Earlier, West Bengal Minister Mamata Banerjee emphasised the importance of respecting all religious institutions, including the Jagannath Temple in Puri and the Digha Jagannath Temple.Speaking to the media,
CM Mamata Banerjee stated, "We respect the temple in Puri and we also respect Jagannath Dham. Kaali Temples and Gurdwaras are found throughout the country. Temples exist in all areas. Why is there so much anger on this issue?"
The Rs 250 crore temple in Digha, constructed over 20 acres, was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30, 2025. The temple, inspired by the 12 th- century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, houses the same deities. (ANI)